Luck Is in the Detail

Transcription

Annual Report 2014
Key Facts and Figures
Sales
in millions EUR
Casinos
(Austria)
Casinos
(International)
Lotteries 4
Online/VLT/
Sports Betting
Group
2013 total
263.1
137.91
1,299.01
1,806.81
3,506.81
Gaming revenues
253.9
Ancillary revenues
1,805.21
9.2
1.6
2014 total
271.6
Gaming revenues
258.3
1,873.8
13.3
1.8
Ancillary revenues
139.1
1,337.5
1,875.6
3,623.8
Tax Payments in Austria
in millions EUR
Casinos
(Austria)
Lotteries
Group
2013
96
434
530
2014
105
447
552
Employees2
Casinos
(Austria)3
Casinos
(International)
Lotteries 4
Online/VLT
Sportwetten5
2013
1,575
2,640
644
213
5,072
2014
1,670
2,004
647
218
4,539
Casinos
(Austria)
Casinos
(International)
Group
2013
2.36
5.98
8.34
2014
2.50
5.16
7.66
Casinos
(Austria)
Casinos
(International)
Group
2013
234
359
593
2014
235
323
558
Casinos
(Austria)
Casinos
(International)
Group
2013
1,968
4,105
6,073
2014
2,010
4,197
6,207
Group
Casino Guests
in millions
Number of Gaming Tables
Number of Slot Machines
Sales from discontinued operations have been regrouped in the P&L position “Result from discontinued operations”.
Full-time equivalents (FTEs), annual average. 3 Incl. Cuisino, CAST, CCB and CALL. 4 Incl. Lotaria Kombëtare/Albania.
5
Incl. RABCAT and WINWIN Slovakia (to 2013), incl. RABCAT (from 2014).
1
2
Casinos Austria’s casinos welcomed over 2.5 million guests in 2014. This figure is particularly gratifying, not least because it represents an increase of 6 percent compared
to the previous year. We have, of course, included details of this and the many other
positive developments in the past business year in this Annual Report.
But we would also like to purposely show you some of the things that are quite
simply de rigueur in our casinos – things that are taken so much for granted that they
often go unnoticed. Yet if they were to be missing, it would be noticed immediately. I’m
talking here, for example, about the excellent service we offer our guests, the culinary
delights we serve in our casino restaurants and bars, or the gaming equipment we use
to provide top class gaming – everything from casino chips to Roulette balls, playing
cards and dice.
To bring these – frequently small – things to the fore in this report, the people
who work with them on a daily basis are depicted – by way of contrast – in miniature
format. And not only through composite photos, but also quite literally – in the form
of 3D figurines that are deliberately given center stage. Read on to see this entertaining perspective for yourself – and also discover some interesting details about those
things that are quite simply a matter of course at Casinos Austria.
Enjoy!
Karl Stoss
Karl Stoss
1
Mission
Casinos Austria AG and its affiliates and subsidiary
companies provide gaming and entertainment of the
highest order. Integrity, years of experience and absolute respect for the particular socio-political responsibility that goes hand-in-hand with gaming guarantee
the trust and confidence of our guests, customers,
investors and, above all, the licensing authorities.
Shared visions and innovativeness foster the development of the group and safeguard the workplaces of our
employees, whose active participation and constructive input we both encourage and value.
Corporate Profile
Casinos Austria is a leading national and international
gaming corporation that offers its guests fun gaming
and entertainment in stylish settings. Responsibility
towards each and every one of these guests is an integral part of our corporate culture.
The company is founded on the principle of absolute
integrity, and our commitment to this principle far
exceeds the statutory requirements.
These ethical and socio-political objectives can only
be realized if Austria’s casinos continue to be managed
by one single company.
Casinos Austria places great importance on sponsoring and provides support and resources – both financial
2
and otherwise – to a wide range of projects and activities in many different sectors, including the arts,
sports, social causes and tourism.
Alongside loyalty, customer service excellence
and social responsibility, our guiding principles also
embrace a clear commitment to supporting and developing our employees.
At Casinos Austria, the way we do business is
defined by the socio-political objectives enshrined in
the Austrian Gaming Act (Glücksspielgesetz).
This includes, above all, protecting the economic
well-being of our guests and recognizing that increased
competition contradicts such protection.
Annual Report Casinos Austria 2014
Contents
C2
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79
84
89
Key Facts & Figures
2
Mission
Corporate Profile
5
Foreword by the Management Board
7
2014 Financial Year
Economic Update
Revenues and Earnings
Corporate Social Responsibility
Responsible Gaming
Sponsoring
Employees
Security
Cuisine and Casino
The Casino Gaming Experience
Multifaceted Event Provider
Outlook
92
2014 Financial Statements
The Management Board
10
The Company
10
11
12
13
15
22
38
42
46
48
50
The Group
Organization
Supervisory Board Report
Regulatory Framework
Management Systems
Casinos in Austria
Casinos Austria International
Austrian Lotteries
win2day
WINWIN – Video Lottery Terminals
tipp3
92
94
96
97
Profit and Loss Statement
Balance Sheet
Consolidated Profit and Loss Statement
Consolidated Balance Sheet
100
Our 3D Models
C3
Imprint
3
The Casinos Austria Management Board
(l. to r.) Karl Stoss, Bettina Glatz-Kremsner, Dietmar Hoscher
4
Dear Reader,
All the companies in the Casinos Austria and A
ustrian
Lotteries Group faced big challenges in the 2014 business year. But they overcame these challenges – not
least through the strong commitment and dedication of
our staff – and, in the process, achieved many positive
results. Quite literally, in fact. Although the difficult
economic situation that has been ongoing since the
start of the euro crisis in 2011 only showed slow signs
of improvement, the Casinos Austria and Austrian
Lotteries Group succeeded in posting a new sales record
in 2014.
With total sales in excess of 3.62 billion euros,
the group’s results show an increase of 3.3 percent
year-on-year (2013: 3.51 billion euros). The positive
trend was driven on the one hand by the classic Lotto,
EuroMillions and Rubbellos scratch-off ticket lottery
products as well as the WINWIN Video Lottery Terminals (VLT) outlets, which rewarded Austrian Lotteries
with a 3.3 percent rise in annual sales to 3.15 billion
euros. The 12 domestic casinos also reported positive
results with a 6 percent increase in guest numbers and
a 3.2 percent increase in revenues, generated in equal
measure from rising gaming revenues and healthy
growth at the Cuisino F&B subsidiary. tipp3 likewise
had a very successful year, profiting in particular from
the biggest event in the football calendar – the FIFA
World Cup in Brazil – and the accompanying measures
that were introduced to mark this event, such as the
launch of the mobile version of the tipp3 sports betting
products.
2014 was a very active and eventful year for Casinos
Austria on many counts. With total investments in the
double digit millions, the casinos in Bregenz, Velden,
Salzburg and Vienna were refurbished and given a
brand new look. The eight casino restaurants operated
by Casinos Austria flourished under the new Cuisino
gastro brand, while the launch of Double Roulette
introduced a new variation of the game in which
small bets have the chance to win up to 1,200 times
the amount wagered. Our guests acknowledged all
these measures and flocked in increasing numbers to
the 12 Austrian casinos, which welcomed a total of
2,504,422 guests throughout the year.
The final decision is still outstanding in the public
call for tenders for the three new individual casino
licenses for the Vienna “Southwest”, Vienna “Northeast” and “Lower Austria 2” locations. Casinos Austria
submitted appeals against the three unsuccessful
license awards on 24 July 2014 citing serious flaws of
both a substantive and a formal nature. The decision
of the responsible Federal Administrative Court is still
outstanding.
At Casinos Austria International (CAI), the consolidation program was successfully continued in 2014:
guest numbers at its casinos rose, and a significant
improvement was seen in its overall operating results.
Increasing revenues at the casinos in Lower Saxony,
Germany, meant that earnings here were well in the
black. Grand Casino Brussels also posted improved
results. In Hungary, a ban on gaming machines outside casinos led to a strong increase in revenues at the
CAI Group’s casino in the border town of Sopron. To
accommodate the rise in demand, Casino Sopron was
relocated to larger premises. New projects are currently being launched in Macedonia and Georgia, while
intensive negotiations are underway for potential new
projects in Canada and Southeast Asia. The sale of one
of the CAI Group’s two casinos in Australia, Casino
Canberra, was successfully concluded on 31 December
2014. Following the unwarranted license withdrawal
in Argentina, arbitration proceedings were launched at
the International Centre for Settlement of Investment
Disputes (ICSID) in Washington, D.C. The legal basis for
these proceedings is an investment protection agreement between Argentina and Austria.
The Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries Group
was once again one of the best customers at the Ministry of Finance in 2014, contributing a total of 552 million euros in taxes and duties. We likewise more than
merited our reputation as a key player for the Austrian
economy as a whole and as one of the country’s leading
companies: the 12 casinos in Austria provide impetus
to the region, contribute to value creation in far more
than just revenue terms, and do so with a clear focus on
sustainability. Casinos Austria’s extraordinary range of
products and services also convinced the Leitbetriebe
Institut, Austria’s Institute of Leading Companies,
and not for the first time. Indeed, Casinos Austria is
the only gaming company to have been successfully
certified by this institute. The extensive and precisely
5
documented certification process focused in particular
on sustainability and market positioning as well as
on CSR, staff and general stakeholder orientation. The
individual criteria were assessed in line with specific
guidelines, similar to a credit rating or corporate
assessment procedure.
And while we are on the subject of certification,
all responsible gaming and responsible advertising
measures at Casinos Austria are managed through
our responsible gaming management system. We had
long sought a means of obtaining certification for
our activities in this area, an objective we successfully achieved in February 2014 when our responsible
gaming and advertising instruments were subjected to
a rigorous audit by the Austrian Standards Institute
using certification criteria developed by the European
Casino Association (ECA). Casinos Austria was the first
gaming company worldwide to have its responsible
gaming management system certified according to ECA
standards, thereby reinforcing and once again living
up to our reputation as a pioneer in this field. We also
successfully underwent a compliance audit in 2014,
when the Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries Group
became only the second large company in Austria to
submit its compliance management system to a full
audit in accordance with the IDW PS 980 international
auditing standard issued by the independent Institute
of Public Auditors (IDW) in Germany. The results of
this audit confirm that Casinos Austria and Austrian
Lotteries exceed all legal compliance requirements.
Karl Stoss
6
It is part of our corporate culture to support projects and launch initiatives to help society. Projects to
provide healthcare to the needy, support people with
special needs or foster integration are particularly close
to our heart – as are humanitarian and social projects.
For example, we help the neunerhaus aid organization
in Vienna provide medical and dental care to the homeless, we provide support to Caritas for its Haus Immanuel, which offers temporary shelter to homeless women
and their children, we are proud partners of the MiA
Migrantinnen Award, which recognizes efforts to integrate female migrants in Austria, and we launched the
Austrian Inclusion Day to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities. In 2014, the Casinos Austria and
Austrian Lotteries Group sponsored around 100 social
projects, provided support for children and senior
citizens and donated around 3 million euros in total to
good causes. Our “Casino on Tour” mobile casinos were
also in attendance at some 240 events in 2014 and raised
a total of 82,000 euros for various charity and social
projects. All proceeds raised at these mobile casino
events are donated to good causes.
Casinos Austria also had plenty to celebrate in 2014:
Casino Baden and Casino Kitzbühel both celebrated
their 80th anniversaries, while Casino Graz and Casino
Velden marked their 30th and 25th anniversaries respectively. And there were, of course, also plenty of prizes to
be won as well. The ever-popular Mega Million Jackpot
was hit twice in 2014: in August in Casino Velden and
in November in Casino Innsbruck.
Bettina Glatz-Kremsner
Dietmar Hoscher
The Management Board
Chairman
Karl Stoss
26 November 1956
After studying Business Administration at the University of Innsbruck,
Karl Stoss lectured at the university’s
Institute of Industry and Trade while
completing his PhD. From 1984 he
worked for an Austrian insurance
company in Vorarlberg before becoming a Partner and Head of Division
at MZSG Management Centre St.
Gallen in Switzerland two years later.
He moved to Vienna in 1996, where
he initially worked as a consultant to
the Österreichische Postsparkasse
(Austrian Postal Savings Bank)
before being appointed Deputy
Chairman of the bank’s Managing
Board. He served as a Board Member
at Raiffeisen Zentralbank Öster
reich AG from 2001 before joining
the Managing Board of Generali
Holding Vienna AG in 2004, where
he was subsequently appointed
Chairman in early 2005. In January
2007, he joined the Management
Board of Casinos Austria AG, where
he assumed the position of Chairman
in May of the same year. Karl Stoss
was appointed to the Management
Board of Casinos Austria International Holding in May 2011 and
moved to the latter’s Supervisory
Board with effect from 12 December
2013. He has also been President of
the Austrian Olympic Committee
since October 2009.
Director
30 September 1962
Bettina Glatz-Kremsner has a
degree in Commercial Studies from
Vienna University of Economics and
Business. She began her professional
career at Austrian Lotteries where
she was appointed CEO of the Hungarian subsidiary Lotto Union. This
joint venture with the Hungarian
National Savings Bank was Austrian Lotteries’ first international
endeavor and lasted until 1996. She
was then appointed Assistant to
the Management Board of Casinos
Austria AG and Deputy Head of the
Executive Secretariat & Controlling
unit at Austrian Lotteries. From
2000 to 2003, she coordinated
synergies between Casinos Austria
and Austrian Lotteries and was
subsequently appointed Head of the
Synergies Division in both companies. She joined the Management
Board of Austrian Lotteries in 2006
and has been Chief Financial Officer
and a Member of the Management
Board of Casinos Austria AG since
2010. Bettina Glatz-Kremsner was
appointed to the Management Board
of Casinos Austria International
Holding in May 2011 and moved to
the latter’s Supervisory Board with
effect from 12 December 2013. She
has been Honorary Consul for the
Republic of Hungary in Vienna and
Lower Austria since January 2013.
Director
Dietmar Hoscher
5 June 1962
After studying Economics at the
University of Vienna, Dietmar
Hoscher managed a research project
on progressive consumption tax
at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute
for Analysis of Economic Policy
Activities before being appointed
economic advisor to the Öster
reichische Nationalbank in 1987.
Two years later, he became an economic policy advisor to the Austrian
Parliament, serving in this capacity
under Ministers of Finance Staribacher, Klima and Edlinger. He was
recruited by Casinos Austria in
1998, initially as Head of Division
and Authorized Company Representative. He became a Director of
Österreichische Sportwetten GmbH
(tipp3) in April 2000, where he was
appointed Chairman of the Management Board in June 2008 and
has been Chairman of the Supervisory Board since 2010. He became a
Member of the Management Board
of Casinos Austria AG in January
2007 and a Member of the Management Board of Casinos Austria
International Holding in May 2011,
moving to the latter’s Supervisory
Board with effect from 12 December 2013. Dietmar Hoscher has
been a Member of the Board of the
European Casino Association (ECA)
since September 2011, where he is
responsible for CSR and Responsible Gaming and was appointed Vice
President in February 2015. He also
serves as a lay judge at the Supreme
Cartel Court.
7
We treat everyone like a star
at our casinos.
We roll the red carpet out for each and every one of our guests and offer
each and every one of them the highest possible level of service. From
the friendly welcome at the reception desk through to the top quality
gaming, culinary delights and entertaining events – the 1,670 members
of staff in our casinos make sure that our guests can enjoy fun – and
responsible – gaming.
Ì
Did you know that in 2014 we welcomed over 2.5 million guests to our casinos in Austria?
The Company
Group
Casinos Austria and its affiliates and subsidiary companies offer gaming
and entertainment of the highest order and is one of the few gaming groups
in the world that is in a position to offer comprehensive and innovative
solutions for all sectors of the gaming industry from a single source.
Ownership structure and companies
1
Bankhaus Schelhammer & Schattera AG 5.3 %
Medial Beteiligungs-GmbH 38.3 %
(UNIQA, Vienna Insurance Group, Raiffeisen Gruppe, Bankhaus Schelhammer & Schattera AG)
3 Münze Österreich AG 33.2 %
4 Private Shareholders 23.2 %
1
4
2
2
3
Casinos Austria AG
HQ: Vienna
Österreichische Lotterien
Gesellschaft m.b.H.
HQ: Vienna
68 %
50 %
hattera AG
Entertainment
Glücks- und Unter
haltungsspiel
Gesellschaft m.b.H.
50 %
Casinos Austria
International Holding
GmbH
HQ: Vienna
Glücks- und
Unterhaltungs
spiel Betriebs
gesellschaft
m.b.H.
HQ: Vienna
win2day Ent
wicklungs- und
Betriebs
gesellschaft
m.b.H.
56 %
100 %
100 %
100 %
HQ: Vienna
Österreichische
Sportwetten
Gesellschaft
m.b.H.
HQ: Vienna
HQ: Vienna
as of 31.12.2014
10
Organization
The group’s individual areas of business are organized into separate
Business Units which draw on the services provided by the Corporate
Functions.
Principal Department
Administration &
Organization
Katharina Brunner
Management Board
Casinos Austria AG
Karl Stoss
Dietmar Hoscher
Business Unit
Casinos in Austria
Marketing & Branding
Division
BU Management:
Christian Schütz
Andreas Cieslar
Gaming Division
Dieter Salzgeber
Each business unit (BU) and each corporate function
(CF) is assigned strategically to one or more member(s)
of the Casinos Austria or Austrian Lotteries management boards. Operational management is handled by
the respective executive and divisional management
teams.
Services that are required across the entire group
are bundled into so-called corporate functions. These
are also assigned strategically to one or more board
member(s) and managed by one or more head(s) of
division.
Guest Relations Division
Ernst Hubmann
Security & Surveillance
Division
Dieter Salzgeber
Casino Operations
Casino Directors
Corporate Functions
Corporate
Communications
Extended CF Management:
Martin Himmelbauer
Information
Technologies
Erich Schuster
Corporate
Development
Internal
Audit
Human
Resources
Peter Ulovec,
Reinhard Summerer,
Christian Schütz
Erhard Peinthor
Erich Valenta
Public &
European Affairs, CSR
Finance &
Group Controlling
Wolfgang Sperl
Services & Strategic
Facility Management
Oskar Berzsenyi,
Nathan Bomze
Legal
Affairs
Peter Erlacher
Markus Eder
Responsible Gaming,
Advertising & Sponsoring
Herbert Beck
as of 31.12.2014
11
The Company
Supervisory Board Report
The Supervisory Board has performed the duties incumbent upon it pursuant to statutory provisions and the Articles of Association in its meetings.
The Management Board has provided regular reports on business progress.
The Casinos Austria AG financial statements and
management report were audited by the independent
auditor appointed at the Annual General Meeting on
27 March 2014, BDO Austria GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungs- und Steuerberatungsgesellschaft. The completed
audit raised no grounds for objection. The independent auditor has therefore confirmed that the Casinos
Austria AG annual financial statements and management report comply with statutory provisions.
The Supervisory Board confirms that it concurs
with the Management Board’s management report
and the proposed distribution of profits and that it
formally approves the annual financial statements of
Casinos Austria AG, which are hereby adopted pursuant
to Section 96 of the Austrian Stock Corporation Act
(Aktiengesetz).
Furthermore, the Supervisory Board recommends
that the aforementioned audit firm, BDO Austria
GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungs- und Steuerberatungsgesellschaft, also be appointed as independent auditor
for the 2015 fiscal year at the Annual General Meeting.
The Supervisory Board
Walter Rothensteiner
(Chairman)
Vienna, 25 March 2015
12
Supervisory Board (as of 31 December 2014)
Walter Rothensteiner
President, Director General (Chairman)
Kurt Pribil
Vice President, Director (1st Deputy Chairman)
Johanna Stefan
Vice President (2nd Deputy Chairwoman)
Maria Theresia Bablik
Vice President (3rd Deputy Chairwoman)
State Commissioners
Alfred Lejsek
Alfred Katterl
Johannes Pasquali
Members of the Supervisory Board
Hannes Bogner
Friedrich Karrer
Peter Mooslechner
Gerald Neuber
Thomas Polzer
Josef Pröll
Leonhard Romig
Gerhard Starsich
Delegated by the Central Works Council (CWC)
Manfred Schönbauer (CWC Chairman)
Reinhard Aichinger (from 1.10.2014)
Thomas Bergmann
Christian Holz
Gerhard Hrubes (to 30.9.2014)
Peter Löb
Alexander Nachbaur
Regulatory Framework
In Austria, the state holds a monopoly on games of chance, whereby the
Austrian Gaming Act regulates what constitutes a game of chance.
Gambling is, by its very nature, a leisure service, but
also one that must come with a particularly strong
sense of responsibility and a particular respect for
the related risks to society. With gambling also comes
the risk of gambling addiction, which can go as far as
to threaten a person’s economic existence. Likewise,
measures must be taken to effectively counter the penetration of organized crime – from gambling fraud to
money laundering – into the gambling sector. Accordingly, from the health and regulatory perspectives, a
liberalized gambling market would not be desirable
– competition between providers would lead to an
excessive expansion of gambling services, rendering
measures like player bans or advertising restrictions
almost unenforceable in practice.
Despite these risks, a total ban on games of chance
is conversely also not desirable from a political perspective, since it would simply result in the emergence of
an illegal gambling market that cannot be controlled.
An approach which imposes appropriate restrictions
to prevent the undesirable side effects of gambling and
monitors compliance with these restrictions is far more
effective. Since legal, licensed gambling thus also has
the task of suppressing illegal gambling, legal gambling
must, correspondingly, also be promoted.
These principles are in keeping with established
case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union
(ECJ), which has in summary ruled in several findings
(e.g. Schindler 1994, Gambelli 2003, Placanica 2007,
Liga Portuguesa 2009, Engelmann 2010, Dickinger
2011, Hit Larix 2012) that the provision of games of
chance is a service of a special nature and that national
restrictions of this market – up to and including the
establishment of a monopoly – are justified when they
serve to limit the overall supply as well as to combat
gambling addiction and crime. ECJ rulings also confirm
that appropriate advertising and some expansion of the
legal supply is required to combat illegal operators.
The Austrian Gaming Act (Glücksspielgesetz) stipulates that the state can award one license for lotteries
(including electronic lotteries), 15 casino licenses and
three Poker salon licenses nationwide. Electronic lotteries include online gaming and video lottery terminals.
Particularly noteworthy in this context is that Poker
is expressly defined as a game of chance in the demonstrative list of games of chance included in Section 1 (2)
of the Austrian Gaming Act. The provision rescinded
by the Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgerichtshof)
that the right to operate a Poker salon casino for live
Poker table games without a banker can be established through the issue of a license by the Ministry of
Finance has now been replaced by a provision whereby
three licenses for such Poker salons are to be issued in
future (Section 22, Austrian Gaming Act). These Poker
salons can each only be operated at one location (no
branch locations). A transition clause is provided for
commercial Poker establishments operated under a
trading license which was valid on 31 December 2012.
Pursuant to this transition clause, these establishments
can continue to be operated until 31 December 2016
(Section 60 (33), Austrian Gaming Act.
In addition, the nine individual federal states
(Länder) in Austria have the option to issue their own
licenses for the operation of gaming machines (“Länderausspielungen”). Each individual federal state has
the right to issue a maximum of three such licenses,
whereby the total number of gaming machines in each
federal state is restricted by the respective state law.
13
The Company
Stricter rules for online casinos
The European Commission (EC) has issued recommendations regarding the protection of consumers
against losses, fraud and gambling addiction as a
result of online gambling. Legislative power, above all
the issue of licenses, should remain with the individual national states. Closer cooperation is, however,
required in the battle against illegal online gaming
operators. According to EC studies, some 13 billion
euros in revenues are already being generated each
year from online gambling in Europe. Ease of access
to such services via computer, mobile phone or tablet
makes consumer protection in this sector a particular
challenge.
In future, the European Commission would like to
see compulsory registration with proof of user identity for all internet gambling sites. In the interests of
responsible gaming and to protect players, users should
be required to set themselves binding maximum betting limits during the registration process and should
be provided with information on their wins and losses
during play.
Casinos Austria welcomes this fair competition initiative. The win2day online gaming platform operated
by Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries already has
a range of responsible gaming features in place that far
exceed the EC proposals: registration and the definition
of weekly limits are both compulsory for all users of
the win2day site. User surveys indicate that this raises
awareness of the need for security and significantly
increases the fun factor for the harmless forms of gambling offered on the site.
14
Casino licenses in Austria
Casinos Austria holds 12 of the casino licenses currently issued pursuant to the provisions of the Austrian
Gaming Act and operates these casinos in the following
locations: Baden, Bad Gastein (from 1 January 2016
in Zell am See), Bregenz, Graz, Innsbruck, Kitzbühel,
Kleinwalsertal, Linz, Salzburg, Seefeld, Velden and
Vienna. As a consequence of the 2010 amendments
to the Austrian Gaming Act, the Federal Minister of
Finance now has the possibility to issue three further
casino licenses in addition to the existing 12 casino
licenses upon completion of a public, transparent and
non-discriminatory call for tenders. The call for tenders
for these three individual licenses (for the Vienna
“Southwest”, Vienna “Northeast” and “Lower Austria 2”
locations) was launched on 26 November 2012. The
deadline for the submission of bids was 10 June 2013.
Casinos Austria participated in this call for tenders and
duly submitted corresponding bids, but these bids were
rejected. Casinos Austria formally submitted appeals
against the three negative decisions on 24 July 2014,
citing serious flaws of both a substantive and a formal
nature. The decision of the responsible Federal Administrative Court is still outstanding.
Management Systems
Casinos Austria’s quality awareness is reflected both in our service excellence and
in our compliance with the strict regulatory and responsible gaming directives that
apply to the licensed gaming industry. Compliance and comprehensive management
systems serve here as effective tools in our quest for continuous improvement.
Casinos Austria is synonymous with highest quality
gaming. This reputation is founded on our absolute
commitment to quality awareness – a commitment that
is shared by the members of our management board
and by our staff and is reflected both in our service
excellence and in our compliance with the strict regulatory and responsible gaming provisions that apply to
the licensed gaming industry. Absolute responsibility
towards each and every player, towards society and
towards the licensing authorities is an integral part of
our corporate culture. With our strict Code of Conduct,
the company and its staff pledge to conduct business in
an ethical, legal and socially responsible manner.
A joint process framework based on the new
ISO 27001 standard has been defined for all our existing management systems. In addition to the joint process elements, this framework also covers the specific
elements of each individual management system. The
strategic decision to integrate our quality management
and data protection management systems was implemented in 2014. As a result, both these management
systems could be jointly audited for the first time in
this reporting year. The successful re-certification audit
was carried out in July 2014 by the Swiss Association
for Quality and Management Systems (SQS). This joint
process framework is a prerequisite for the integration
of further management system certification audits in
the medium term and, thus, for reducing certification
times and efforts and for increasing efficiency. The
integration of our quality and data protection management systems into this framework has already cut the
number of audit days by 70 percent, thereby reducing
both our audit costs and the resources required in the
audit process.
Certified quality management
Casinos Austria’s guests appreciate our high quality
service, our professional handling of the games and the
responsible, personal service they encounter in all our
casinos. Our quality management system has been certified to the EN ISO 9001:2008 standard since 2011 and
is audited each year by independent, external auditors.
In 2014, the ISO certificate for our quality management
system was re-issued without reservation, effectively
confirming once again our leading reputation as a reputable casino operator.
Awareness and total respect for quality and compliance is extremely important at Casinos Austria, a
fact that was emphasized anew by the external SQS
auditors. This serves as clear confirmation that our
daily efforts and approach to quality and compliance
requirements in our casino operations and at our
headquarters in Vienna conform to the highest international standards. The new external auditors also
confirmed the excellent quality of the service provided
by all our staff, their professional handling of the games
on offer, their adherence to all defined work processes
and their extraordinary efforts to continually improve
the already very high level of quality found at Casinos
Austria.
15
The Company
Data protection
Our rigorous identity checks for casino guests and
transparency in prize transactions make it far easier for
the authorities to rule out criminal activity. All security procedures in our domestic casinos far exceed the
typical levels of control found in the gaming industry.
These procedures include entrance identity checks, the
monitoring of all cash transactions and the provision
of target group specific staff training. Data security and
conformity with data protection provisions is accorded
highest priority in the planning and development of
any software programs. This ensures, for example, that
data can only be accessed on a need-to-know basis by
authorized members of staff.
Casinos Austria has been certified under the
G oodPriv@cy standard since February 2010. The
GoodPriv@cy seal of approval for data protection confirms our systematic adherence to data protection and
information security guidelines and regulations in all
areas of our business and provides us with a means of
objectively documenting and effectively communicating our data protection measures and activities to our
guests, customers, business partners, the authorities
and the general public. Mandatory annual G
oodPriv@cy
re-certification audits, such as the one successfully
carried out in July 2014, serve as a guarantee of
continuity.
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Information security
The security organization and the security measures implemented by Casinos Austria are operated in
accordance with the ISO 27001 information security
management standard, the internationally recognized
standard for operational security in all business processes. This guarantees that all business processes relevant to information security are subjected to a regular
improvement cycle.
Anti-corruption compliance
Casinos Austria takes the prevention of corruption
very seriously. We orient ourselves on the IDW PS 980
auditing standard for all our anti-corruption activities.
Issued by the Institute of Public Auditors (IDW) in Germany, this international standard defines the elements
that a compliance management system must contain in
order to be considered appropriate. It helps compliance
officers to identify areas where formal arrangements
may be required and outlines how any such associated
arrangements may be established and justified. Under
the PS 980 standard, a risk analysis could, for example,
be used to identify those areas of business or business
units for which a compliance measure is required and
those where no such measures are necessary.
The stricter statutory anti-corruption provisions
recently introduced in Austria have been met at Casinos
Austria, for example by the introduction of a new
directive applicable to the entire Casinos Austria and
Austrian Lotteries Group. Three compliance officers
certified to the ÖNORM standard set by the Austrian
Standards Institute manage and enforce compliance
to the legislative provisions and to the internal rules
that are obligatory for all our staff. An anti-corruption
officer has also been appointed.
The design of our Compliance Management System (CMS) was successfully audited in April 2013 by
independent, external auditors. The effectiveness of
this system was subsequently verified in a performance
audit conducted in spring 2014.
Combatting money laundering and
the financing of terrorism
Casinos Austria uses an ISAE 3000 (International
Standard on Assurance Engagements) approved management system in the prevention of money laundering
and criminal activities and continually assesses any
money laundering risks. We use a range of measures
to demonstrably and systematically enforce the “know
your customer” principle required by the Austrian Gaming Act (Glücksspielgesetz) and the Austrian Banking Act
(Bankenwesengesetz). Our established security structures and the ISO 27001 compliant security measures
in place for our central computer center guarantee
adherence to the applicable security regulations for the
operation of data storage systems.
All relevant statutory provisions in the Austrian
Gaming Act and the Austrian Banking Act are categorized and assigned into risk groups at regular intervals.
These risk groups are then subjected to a series of internal tests and subsequently plotted on a risk and risk
maturity map. All business processes are documented
to ensure full transparency for our management team
and our anti-money laundering officer. In addition,
our internal monitoring and control system ensures
that the statutory provisions are reviewed at regular
intervals and, where necessary, incorporated into our
business processes.
These procedures and the management and measurement criteria defined in accordance with the
ISAE 3000 standard ensure that the combatting of
money laundering is consciously recognized and
accepted as a management task. An important aspect
in this regard is the regular updating of the group-wide
process map and related guidelines. These updates are
carried out at least once a year.
17
The Company
Risk and opportunity management
Casinos Austria has had comprehensive strategic
risk and opportunity management procedures in place
since 2009. The permanent overview of key strategic
corporate risks and opportunities and timely introduction of corresponding measures support decisions to
promote our continued existence and corporate growth.
These standardized procedures allow us to capitalize
better on new business opportunities and consciously
manage the associated risks. In addition to meeting
the provisions of the Austrian Company Law Amendment Act 2008 (Unternehmensrechtsänderungsgesetz),
this creates added value when it comes to the potential
development of new opportunities.
Unified risk and opportunity categories have been
established for all companies and divisions in the
group. Through their participation in this group-wide
process, the risks and opportunities for the group
become the targeted concern of all managers.
Our risk and opportunity management system
allows us to manage the risks relating to product
security and quality, player protection, the protection
of minors and the reliability of our gaming operations
in a controlled manner. At the same time, it also allows
us to make increased use of associated opportunities to
optimize product quality and customer satisfaction.
Our risk and opportunity management reporting
procedures were comprehensively revised in the 2014
reporting year. Optimized use of the available software
functions now provides risk owners with valuable additional information. The reports were streamlined to
focus more specifically on the needs of their recipients.
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Internal control system
An internal control system (ICS) that is regularly
monitored by our internal auditors ensures the conformity and cost effectiveness of procedures with regard to
asset security and compliance with corporate principles. As an integral part of the ICS, the controlling
system ensures consistency in corporate planning and
reporting and thus supports continued development in
line with the PDCA (plan-do-check-act) cycle.
Process management
Centralized process management supports effective
cooperation across the corporate group. Establishing
greater transparency with regard to processes and
responsibilities minimizes inefficiencies. A total of
20 members of staff are now certified process managers. The process4.biz process management tool is used
to constantly update the group’s operational and organizational model, a copy of which is available to staff
via the intranet. Process optimization activities serve
as a means of improving the efficiency and effectiveness
of our corporate processes.
Responsible gaming management system
All responsible gaming and responsible advertising measures at Casinos Austria are managed through
our responsible gaming management system. Casinos
Austria had long sought a possibility to obtain certification for its responsible gaming activities and achieved
this objective in February 2014 when the Austrian
Standards Institute defined relevant criteria that could
be used to audit and certify such a responsible gaming
management system. These criteria are based, in turn,
on the responsible gaming principles established by the
European Casino Association (ECA). The certification
process involved an intensive audit of several areas of
activity, namely staff training in responsible gaming,
information for casino guests, access controls, advertising and marketing, alcohol sales, stakeholder involvement and researching/raising awareness of risk factors
in the development of new gaming products. Casinos
Austria is the first gaming company worldwide to have
its responsible gaming management system certified,
thereby reinforcing and once again living up to our
reputation as a pioneer in this field.
19
It’s always full house at
our tournaments.
Poker stars from all around the globe travel to Austria each year to take
part in the Casinos Austria Poker Tour. In 2014, they came straight from
Las Vegas to Casino Baden to battle it out at the 25th European Poker
Championship. Reason enough for Casinos Austria to also include Las
Vegas Hit Open Face Chinese Pineapple Poker at this prestigious event.
But there’s also plenty of other Poker action besides the major tournaments at Austria’s 12 casinos. Our local Poker managers organize plenty
of events throughout the year – far more in fact than the year has days.
Ì
Did you know that a Poker card is dealt up to 250 times and is made of plastic?
The Company
Casinos in Austria
The 12 casinos in Austria are a true experience for all the senses. A wide
variety of games and diverse range of tourism options ensure a visit to
one of our casinos is always one to remember. In 2014, we had four major
anniversaries to celebrate: 80 years of Casino Baden, 80 years of Casino
Kitzbühel, 30 years of Casino Graz and 25 years of Casino Velden.
In 2014, our casinos in Austria focused on making sure
they are fit for the future and are now even more attractive than ever. Recent renovations and refurbishments
were successfully completed and continued, and our
casinos were given a more contemporary look – both
inside and out. Some of our casinos might already have
celebrated their 25th, 30th or even 80th anniversaries, but
they are all still state-of-the-art and perfectly equipped
and prepared for the future.
The choice of games on offer in Austria’s casinos is
of an international standard and is constantly updated.
Innovative new products are frequently added to the
gaming mix, thus retaining its permanent attraction.
Thrills and excitement await at the Roulette, Blackjack
and Poker tables or our cutting edge gaming machines.
22
Highest quality service is a matter of course, and totally
reputable and transparent gaming is an absolute priority.
Ensuring these promises are kept is the responsibility,
not least, of our highly trained staff. First-time visitors
to our casinos also have the chance to learn all about the
individual games on offer: our charming croupiers are
always on hand to explain and demonstrate the rules in
person, giving everyone the chance to happily enjoy the
fun of our world of gaming.
But the gaming experience is just one of the competences of our casinos: they are also cultural meeting places
and host a broad range of events – from literary readings,
art exhibitions, cabaret shows and concerts to society
events like balls and festivals. And with first class cuisine
to round it all off, the result is a true, all-round experience.
Casino Baden
Profile
In Casino Baden, the glamor of the Belle Époque era
remains alive to this day. The impressive building on
the edge of the town’s spa gardens is home to one of
the largest and most attractive casinos in Europe –
and to an expansive congress and event center. While
its exterior is still resplendent in the classic style
of a bygone age, its interior boasts a cutting-edge,
contemporary gaming area. Baden’s casino has always
been a meeting place for celebrities and an impressive
venue for spectacular events – from drama award ceremonies to the annual Miss Austria beauty pageant.
www.baden.casinos.at
2014 was an anniversary year in Baden: 80 years of
Casino Baden are synonymous with 80 years of perfect
guest service. The casino celebrated its anniversary with
a huge party on 26 April in the company of countless
celebrity guests. Over its long history, Casino Baden’s
perfect combination of gaming, events and cuisine has
been the secret of its success. And that’s precisely why
it has always been the meeting place for society in the
area to the south of Vienna and a leading tourist operation in the region.
The venue was once again host to a huge range of
events in 2014. With its own in-house event company,
Congress Casino Baden (CCB), the casino counts as
one of the top event centers in Lower Austria. Its new
gastronomy team launched a cooperation with Austrian
TV chefs Andi & Alex in 2014, thereby adding new spice
to the casino’s ever-popular “Dinner & Casino” package.
The popular TV stars treated casino guests to a very
special, live culinary experience, answering questions
and giving cooking tips – all with a liberal sprinkle of
their own, inimitable brand of humor.
Every year, Casino Baden closes the carnival season
on Shrove Monday with its very own Casino Redoute, a
masked costume ball that never ceases to amaze – and
is quite probably the most spectacular and colorful of
all the events it hosts.
2014 was also an anniversary year for the European
Poker Championship, which was held for the 25th time
in Casino Baden.
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The Company
Casino Bad Gastein
Profile
The small tourist casino in Bad Gastein is located
in the elegant Grand Hotel de l’Europe. A seasonal
operation, the casino is open daily from 7 pm from
the end of December to the middle of April and from
the beginning of July to mid-September. It is set in
the heart of the picturesque spa town’s Belle Époque
town center, surrounded by a stunning natural
landscape, and is the key meeting place and social
hub in the region.
www.badgastein.casinos.at
With charity events like its “Mountain Casino” promotion in cooperation with the Gastein mountain railway
and its traditional “Open Day”, Casino Bad Gastein
raised more than 2,500 euros for the Gastein Mountain
Rescue Society and the Clown Doctors in 2014.
In addition to the international caliber gaming facilities on offer in the casino, guests can also enjoy a drink
in the elegant casino bar or relax in its Smokey Joe’s Bar
smoking lounge. Exquisite dining options are available
at numerous partner restaurants in the near vicinity,
including the renowned Ginger n’Gin restaurant and
club located directly below the casino.
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Casino Bregenz
Profile
Set in a modern building directly on the shores of
Lake Constance, architecturally and functionally
embedded in the festival and convention center,
floating stage and adjacent Hotel Mercure ensemble,
Casino Bregenz is one of the most popular leisure
destinations in this festival city. Elegance and glamor are the order of the day at this cosmopolitan venue, which successfully combines international caliber
gaming, quality entertainment, award-winning
cuisine, “in” events and great promotions under one
roof – directly at the place where three countries –
Austria, Germany and Switzerland – meet.
www.bregenz.casinos.at
Casino Bregenz was extensively remodeled in 2014,
with all construction and refurbishment work completed without closing the venue. Guests continued to
enjoy the gaming facilities without disruption and are
now profiting from the results. With all work completed
in just under six months, the new facilities were officially opened on 19 September 2014.
The new, floodlit façade and extended dining and bar
areas are the real eye-catchers. The FALSTAFF Lounge,
which is located over the casual Jackpot Casino and
directly adjoins the casino restaurant, now has a floor
space of 460 square meters. The redesigned Casino Bar,
where guests can sink into comfortable lounge sofas
and enjoy the view of the lake through a 20-meter panorama window, lies in the heart of the casino. It links
the main gaming room, the slots gaming room and the
Poker area in the Arik Brauer room with the expansive
new, 360-square-meter Casino Lounge.
The additions reflect modern trends and address
the needs of contemporary guests, allowing the casino
to meet guest demands even more impressively. With
over 316,000 guests each year, Casino Bregenz is a real
crowd-puller and a leading tourist venue in the region.
One of the highlights of the year in the casino’s event
calendar was the 10th anniversary of the Lebens.ART
exhibition. To mark the occasion, a special exhibition
catalog was produced and the artists and guests were all
presented with a booklet of pictures from previous exhibitions. At the series of events organized for the “Casino
Fall” promotion, the top prize up for grabs in the main
draw was a brand new Mini Cooper.
25
The Company
Casino Graz
Profile
Casino Graz is a typical city casino – with a catchment area that extends well into the surrounding
region and as far as neighboring Slovenia. Business
travelers, wine enthusiasts touring the South
Styrian wine trail and city-break visitors drawn by
one of the many festivals in the Styrian capital all
flock to the popular casino in equal numbers for an
exciting evening at the tables.
www.graz.casinos.at
Great gaming, fine dining and superb entertainment
have been the three main pillars of success at Casino
Graz for over 30 years. On 25 October 2014, the casino
celebrated its 30th anniversary with a gala event for
1,700 guests. As a leading attraction in the region, the
casino is a meeting place for old and young alike, for
gaming enthusiasts and for those who enjoy the finer
things in life. The casino’s restaurant is run by the leading Styrian caterer, Revita, and counts as one of the top
25 dining venues in Styria. Pleasure and enjoyment is
the name of the game at Casino Graz, where countless
attractive culinary and cultural events are organized to
complement its core business.
A concept that pays, as the figures clearly confirm.
Since it opened 30 years ago, some 5 million guests
have visited the casino, where a team of over 100 staff
is on hand to ensure that everyone enjoys their visit.
The casino is also particularly proud of its Piano
Bar, where legendary Graz pianist Michel Nikolov
entertains guests five nights a week with his stirring
performances.
26
Casino Graz also had plenty of other entertainment on offer in the reporting year: over 100 Casino
Comedy Club shows alone were held there in 2014.
These shows featured a host of renowned comedians,
many of whom were making their debut performances
on the Styrian stage.
Casino Innsbruck
Profile
Casino Innsbruck’s elegant glass architecture lends
the popular casino in the center of Innsbruck its
own particular flair. Its prime location in the heart
of the Tyrolean Alps adds to the charm and makes
Casino Innsbruck a very special place indeed.
But the casino is not just the venue of choice for
Roulette and Blackjack fans from Austria, Italy,
Germany and Switzerland, its event calendar is also
full to the brim – making it a firm fixture in the
city’s culture scene.
www.innsbruck.casinos.at
In true keeping with its vision and approach, Casino
Innsbruck clearly demonstrated its multi-faceted talents in 2014. Over 20,000 guests flocked to the casino
throughout the year to take advantage of its diverse
and colorful portfolio of events.
29 November 2014 was definitely a highlight of
the year on the gaming floor – that was the day when
a lucky slot player hit the Mega Million Jackpot in
Innsbruck’s casino and took home over 1 million
euros. Innovative gaming tournaments like the Casino
InnsbruckClassic Gaming Triathlon captured the imagination of many regular guests. Likewise, the regular
Blackjack tournaments, with a guaranteed prize of
5,000 euros, proved highly popular with punters.
The casino has been handling its own catering
through the Casinos Austria Cuisino subsidiary since
2014. The entire catering team works tirelessly to
ensure that the menus are always perfect and to cater
for the many popular tastings and events organized in
the casino.
Casino Innsbruck is well-known for its charity
initiatives and was proud to be able to present a large
check to the Tyrolean Branch of the Austrian Cancer
Support Society’s “Pink Ribbon” Organization for the
proceeds raised at several well-attended events. The
popular German singer Claudia Jung took to the stage
in Casino Innsbruck during the Lions Victoria Ladies
Club’s summer festival, where all money raised was
donated to helping seriously ill children.
The third series of the popular “Witnesses of
our Times” (Zeitzeugen) interviews held in Casino
I nnsbruck in cooperation with the ORF Tyrol TV
station and the Tiroler Tageszeitung daily newspaper
culminated in early November with the presentation
of the book on the series. Alpine legend Wolfgang
Nairz, businessman and actor Arthur Thöni, journalist and actor Ernst Grissemann, former zoo director
Helmut Pechlaner and sculptor and artist Jos Pirkner
all took to the stage to share interesting insights into
their lives with the audience.
27
The Company
Casino Kitzbühel
Profile
At first glance, you wouldn’t initially expect to find
a modern casino behind this building’s colorful
Tyrolean façade with its traditional “Lüfterlmale
rei“ wall paintings. But the casino in this chic and
legendary Alpine resort offers just that and plays an
important role as the place in Kitzbühel for socializing and for lively nightlife.
www.kitzbuehel.casinos.at
Casino Kitzbühel celebrated its 80th anniversary on
29 November 2014. Under the motto “80 Years”, the
casino invited its many regular guests to come along
and celebrate the event. To mark the occasion, all members of staff – and many of the guests – dressed up in
1930s style clothing. And, needless to say, the numerous celebrities and friends of the casino at the party
really did celebrate in style.
Casino Kitzbühel’s guests welcome the small but
beautiful atmosphere in this popular venue, which
offers everything the discerning guest could want. The
diverse gaming facilities are spread over two separate,
welcoming levels, while the elegant restaurant, which
has been run by Casinos Austria’s new Cuisino subsidiary since 2014, well-stocked wine cellar, tasteful bar
and cozy bistro all contribute to making a visit to the
casino in Kitzbühel a night to remember.
If you like to try something out of the ordinary,
then “Streif Roulette” is the game for you. Named after
the legendary downhill ski course, this variation of
Roulette was developed specially for Casino Kitzbühel
and can only be played here. Casino guests and ski stars
alike were all enthralled by this new game at its premier
in January 2014.
For many tourist visitors to the region, a night at
Casino Kitzbühel is a “must-do” in their vacation schedule; for local guests, the casino is a valued and popular
meeting place.
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Casino Kleinwalsertal
Profile
Its unique location in a geographical enclave that
is easily reachable from Allgäu in Germany, but is
almost inaccessible from Austria, makes Casino
Kleinwalsertal a favorite destination for German
guests. Indeed, when it was opened back in 1972,
the gaming currency at the casino was the German
Mark and not the Austrian Schilling. Nowadays, the
modern venue is a main tourist attraction in this
popular skiing and hiking region.
www.kleinwalsertal.casinos.at
A successful combination of casino, restaurant, club and
event facilities makes Casino Kleinwalsertal a popular
meeting place. Its clientele includes both regular punters
and leisure guests as well as first-time casino-goers. In
2014, the casino placed increased focus on the latter: a whole range of promotions – from ski passes to
guest tickets – were introduced to offer newcomers the
chance to see what’s on offer at the casino for themselves. They were also offered guided tours of the venue,
charming introductory gaming lessons and invitations
to parties and events at the casino.
Casino Kleinwalsertal thoroughly enjoys its role as a
host – for small and large scale events alike. Its Cuisino
event room can be booked for all events and adapted to
meet individual customer needs. Its Tanzbar club is the
ideal place to dance the night away after a fun evening
at the casino. And the culinary delights on offer in its
award-winning Cuisino restaurant really do cater to
every taste.
The casino’s gaming area offers a choice of Roulette,
Blackjack and Poker tables as well as a selection of
70 slot and gaming machines. During the daily Slots
Happy Hour from 4 pm to 6 pm, Casino Kleinwalsertal
serves its afternoon guests a range of attractive snacks
and drinks.
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The Company
Casino Linz
Profile
Its central location on the Linzer Landstraße,
Austria’s busiest shopping street outside Vienna, a nd
close proximity to many of the city’s hotels, theaters,
concert halls and art galleries (like the newly built
“Linz House of Music”) are just two of the many plus
points for this modern city casino. The interior design
of this popular venue is really something special with
its fascinating color and lighting effects beautifully
complemented by a colorful mosaic-like window
frieze by the Austrian artist Hans Staudacher.
www.linz.casinos.at
Casino Linz asserted itself very well in a difficult and
increasingly competitive market in 2014. Its philosophy of catering equally both to regular punters and to
leisure and event guests, and thus positioning itself
not simply as a gaming venue but as a meeting place for
Linz society, once again proved its worth. In 2014, the
casino placed a particular emphasis on gaming-related
events and on new – and very successful – group offers.
The numerous different events organized in both the
gaming room and the Casineum function room communicated the message to guests that there’s “always
something going on” at Casino Linz. A highlight in 2014
was the Miss Upper Austria beauty pageant, which was
held at the casino for the first time. The winner was also
subsequently crowned Miss Austria in Casino Baden and
went on to represent Austria at the Miss World Contest
in London.
Casino Linz is an ideal venue for sports championship
parties and the annual general meetings of sports organizations and associations. Its Schnapsen (an Austrian
variation of the Sixty-Six card game), chess and Tarock
tournaments are just as popular among guests as its classic casino game tournaments. The casino was particularly
proud to announce that a record 412 players signed up
for its aptly named annual Dreikönigstarock tournament on 6 January 2014 (also known as “Three Kings
Day”). Last, but by no means least, Poker also featured
strongly on the program in Casino Linz throughout the
year. From 17 to 21 September, it served as the fifth stop
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on the annual Casinos Austria Poker Tour (CAPT). The
sophisticated ambiance in Casino Linz, which boasts
a dedicated tournament Poker area, and the perfect
organization of the event provided for a highly successful
week of Poker.
Some of the best-known comedians on the Austrian
comedy circuit took to the stage in Casineum Linz in 2014.
The culinary highlight of the year was a superb gourmet
evening with celebrity chef Helmut Österreicher in the
casino restaurant. Casino Linz has also been a sponsor of
the Linz-based cult football team LASK since 2014.
Casino Salzburg
Profile
Casino Salzburg is located in the majestic Klessheim
Palace, providing its guests with fun and entertainment in the breathtaking setting of a regal baroque
building created by Johann Fischer von Erlach. The
generous interior design provides plenty of space,
while the juxtaposition of baroque elegance and
modern gaming give the casino a very special flair.
www.salzburg.casinos.at
An international caliber gaming mix provides gaming fun and entertainment all year round. A total of
280 square meters with a capacity for up to 580 people
are available for events at Casino Salzburg. Spread over
four spacious salons and the exclusive Rondeau, the
casino is the ideal setting for banquets, cocktail parties
and receptions.
Casino Salzburg is a reliable partner for sporting
events like the Salzburg Golf Festival or the Casinos
Austria Integration Football World Championship. The
kick-off event for the latter in the unique and regal
ambiance of Klessheim Palace has now become a major
gala event with a huge guest list and plenty of beautiful young “Misses”: the draw for the 2014 tournament
was held namely in Casino Salzburg during the Miss
Integration 2014 beauty pageant.
Casino Salzburg is also a popular location for press
conferences. In November 2014, for example, FC Red
Bull Salzburg booked the venue to announce details of
its upcoming matches to the media.
The beautiful baroque palace gardens surrounding
Casino Salzburg also served in 2014 as the venue for
the 2nd Grödiger Nox’n Teufel Krampuslauf, a local fun
run featuring St. Nicholas’ devilish companion, who is
referred to in German as Krampus.
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The Company
Casino Seefeld
Profile
Seefeld lies at the heart of the Inn valley plateau
and is a paradise for downhill skiers, cross-country
ski enthusiasts and horse-drawn coaching fans
in the winter months and an Eldorado for golfers
in the summer. A visit to the town’s casino is the
perfect end to a day of outdoor fun – and with its
prime location in the heart of Seefeld’s pedestrian
zone, the casino is the ideal meeting place for groups
of friends congregating from the various hotspots
around town.
www.seefeld.casinos.at
Seefeld is the host venue for numerous sporting events,
conferences and congresses with several thousand participants and delegates. With around 8,000 guest beds
in the town and surrounding area and the corresponding conference infrastructure, the town and region are
the perfect location for a successful event.
With its cozy, rustic ambiance, Casino Seefeld is
a popular leisure destination especially for German
and Italian visitors. As its name suggests, the casino’s
L’Osteria Italiana restaurant serves a superb choice
of specialties from Bella Italia. The recently revamped
Cocktail Club Centrale located directly in the casino is
the ideal spot to relax over an expertly prepared cocktail and enjoy the lounge-like atmosphere.
32
Casino Velden
Profile
Life in Velden is pulsating and vibrant in the summer
months. The casino terrace with its superb view over
Lake Wörth is one of the best places around to sit
back and soak up the Carinthian flair and enjoy the
Mediterranean atmosphere of the lakeside promenade on a summer evening. With its colorful event
program, the casino constantly remains a focal point
in the Lake Wörth region’s nightlife scene.
www.velden.casinos.at
Casino Velden celebrated its 25th anniversary on
3 May 2014. To mark the occasion, the casino was given
a comprehensive facelift. Its exterior façade was completely replaced, and augmented with a new wave-like
canopy roof. With its newly refurbished meeting zone,
the casino opens up to the spacious square in front of
the building and provides the newly-created “star mile”
in Velden with an impressive stage.
During the anniversary celebrations, a spectacular
fantasy world was created here with the Bal du Cirque
Fantastique. The ball was the highlight of the 2014
summer season and enchanted stars and regular guests
alike: some 2,000 guests danced the night away in
Casino Velden in the manège.
In 2014, Casino Velden once again became the meeting place for Harley-Davidson fans. During the European
Bike Tour, thousands of Harley-Davidson riders rode
through the streets of Velden, and the casino organized
a custom bike show that really was in a class of its own.
The impressively revamped touring models created a real
buzz and proved a constant source of amazement.
Casino Velden has also made a name for itself as
a Poker destination. When the Casinos Austria Poker
Tour (CAPT) made its stop on the shores of Lake Wörth
in July, the organization, setting and timing couldn’t
have been better. Many of the 500 international players
had travelled directly to the tournament in Velden from
the World Series of Poker extravaganza in Las Vegas.
With prize money of 1.2 million euros on the table,
the excitement and atmosphere in the casino’s gaming
rooms was quite simply amazing.
33
The Company
Casino Wien
Profile
Casino Wien is a classic club casino in the traditional
sense and style. Located in the Palais Esterházy, a
15th century baroque palace, the popular casino is
situated directly on the Kärntner Straße, one of the
most elegant shopping streets in Vienna. Gaming
is spread over three floors, and most of the gaming
rooms are adorned with works by contemporary
artists, providing a charming modern contrast to the
bygone structure. Particularly impressive is the elegant Fuchs Salon, which was designed by the artist
Ernst Fuchs and his two sons.
www.wien.casinos.at
National and international guests alike clearly value
the superb all-round offer they enjoy at Casino Wien.
The increased focus on attracting international tourists
to Vienna in recent years has brought growing numbers
of visitors from former Soviet Union countries, the
Arab states and Asia to the country’s capital. International guests in particular appreciate the diverse gaming mix, the highly professional handling of the games,
the service excellence and the special ambiance on offer
at Casino Wien.
In 2014, the casino’s portfolio was augmented by a
new gastronomy section. The new Cuisino restaurant in
Casino Wien opened in November 2014 after only five
months of construction. Two luxurious salons – one red
and one gray – now offer guests an exclusive culinary
experience.
34
Casino Directors in Austria as of 31.12.2014
Casino Baden
Edmund Gollubits
Casino Bad Gastein
Wolfgang Haubenwaller
Casino Bregenz
Bernhard Moosbrugger
Casino Graz
Andreas Sauseng
Casino Innsbruck
Hannes Huter
Casino Kitzbühel
Paul Vogel
Casino Kleinwalsertal
Bernhard Moosbrugger
Casino Linz
Josef Kneifl
Casino Salzburg
Wolfgang Haubenwaller
Casino Seefeld
Robert Frießer
Casino Velden
Othmar Resch
Casino Wien
Reinhard Deiring
Casino locations in Austria
CASINO BADEN
CASINO INNSBRUCK
CASINO SALZBURG
Kaiser-Franz-Ring 1
2500 Baden
Tel.: +43 /2252/ 444 96
E-mail: [email protected]
www.baden.casinos.at
Salurner Straße 15
6020 Innsbruck
Tel.: +43 /512/ 58 70 40
www.innsbruck.casinos.at
Schloss Klessheim
5071 Wals-Siezenheim
Tel.: +43 /662/ 85 44 55
www.salzburg.casinos.at
CONGRESS CASINO BADEN
CASINO KITZBÜHEL
CASINO SEEFELD
Tel.: +43 /2252/ 445 40-501
www.ccb.at
Hinterstadt 24
6370 Kitzbühel
Tel.: +43 /5356/ 623 00
www.kitzbuehel.casinos.at
Bahnhofstraße 124
6100 Seefeld
Tel.: +43 /5212/ 23 40
www.seefeld.casinos.at
CASINO KLEINWALSERTAL
CASINO VELDEN
Walserstraße 31
6991 Riezlern
Tel.: +43 /5517/ 50 23
www.kleinwalsertal.casinos.at
Am Corso 17
9220 Velden
Tel.: +43 /4274/ 20 64
www.velden.casinos.at
CASINO LINZ
CASINO WIEN
Rainerstraße 2–4
4020 Linz
Hotel Schillerpark
Tel.: +43 /732/ 65 44 87
www.linz.casinos.at
Kärntner Straße 41
1010 Vienna
Palais Esterházy
Tel.: +43 /1/ 512 48 36
www.wien.casinos.at
CASINO BAD GASTEIN
Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Straße 14
5640 Bad Gastein
Grand Hotel de l’Europe
Tel.: +43 /6434/ 24 65
www.badgastein.casinos.at
CASINO BREGENZ
Platz der Wiener Symphoniker 3
6900 Bregenz
Tel.: +43 /5574/ 45 127
www.bregenz.casinos.at
CASINO GRAZ
Landhausgasse 10
8010 Graz
Tel.: +43 /316/ 83 25 78
www.graz.casinos.at
35
Curtains up at the 12 Austrian casinos
From gala balls, art exhibitions and cabaret shows to wine tastings and
literary presentations – there are events and functions on the program
every day in all 12 casinos across Austria. Creativity plays just as big a
role here as local flair – be it in the Tyrolean Alps, downtown Vienna or
on the shores of Lake Wörth. Perfect organization and personal service
make every event – from Baden to Bregenz – a unique and very special
occasion. Casino Velden enthralled its guests in 2014 with its Bal du
Cirque Fantastique. This spectacular event was also recognized with the
CREOS Create Carinthia Marketing award.
Ì
Did you know that in 2014 around 2,000 events were held
in our casinos?
Das Unternehmen
Casinos Austria International
The consolidation program at Casinos Austria International produced
some initial successes in 2014: guest numbers rose, and the business
situation at its existing operations was stabilized.
Casinos Austria International (CAI) is known the
world over for its innovative entertainment concepts
in the casino and gaming sector. Together with its
subsidiaries, Casinos Austria International Holding
GmbH (CAIH) forms an international gaming group
and is widely recognized as a reliable partner, particularly in the casino management business. CAIH holds
stakes in a range of companies which operate casinos,
gaming machines, video lottery terminals (VLTs) and
gastronomy units. CAIH is the holding company in
38
the sub-group of the Casinos Austria Group which
is largely responsible for our international business
activities. In this capacity, CAIH exclusively exercises
holding functions and is responsible for international
operations management and supporting functions like
strategy and group development, investment planning
and financing, budgeting, treasury, mergers and acquisitions, legal affairs, licensing and investor and public
relations.
CAIH’s strategy focusses on the development,
implementation and operation of gaming and casino
projects. These projects are realized in cooperation with
local investors, with CAIH handling operative activities under management contracts and making limited
investments in the projects.
Since it was founded in 1977, this Casinos Austria
Group subsidiary has realized over 300 casino and gaming projects in more than 35 countries and on board
90 cruise ships.
In 2014, CAIH and its partners operated 33 casinos
in 11 countries and on board 6 luxury cruise ships.
Together these casinos offered some 300 gaming tables
and 4,200 gaming machines and employed a total of
2,000 staff. Consolidated revenues at these operations rose slightly compared to the previous year to
139.1 million euros.
Casinos Austria International publishes financial
reports in the Oesterreichische Kontrollbank’s (OEKB)
Issuer Information Centre. The 2014 financial report
will be available for download at the end of April 2015
at http://issuerinfo.oekb.at/startpage.html.
2014 at a glance
Changes were effected to the executive and supervisory boards at Casinos Austria International Holding
GmbH from December 2013. The former executive
directors, Karl Stoss, Bettina Glatz-Kremsner and
Dietmar Hoscher moved to the CAIH supervisory
board, while executive management was transferred to
Alexander Tucek and Christoph Zurucker-Burda.
The consolidation program at Casinos Austria International produced some initial successes in 2014: guest
numbers rose, and the business situation at its existing
operations was stabilized.
The economic climate in much of the area in which
the CAI Group operates was again dominated in the first
six months of 2014 by the national debt crisis in Europe.
Nonetheless, cautious economic growth, a continued
expansive monetary policy by the European Central
Bank (ECB), decreasing unemployment figures and an
accompanying growth in consumer spending power all
contributed to bringing about a strengthened demand
for casino products in the group’s own core markets.
A slight upturn in the world economy could be seen
in the second six months of 2014, whereby economic
expansion gradually strengthened above all in the
advanced economies. In contrast, the economic sanctions against Russia and expected counter-sanctions
served to a certain extent as a negative factor for
growth in Europe.
39
The Company
In the second six months of the 2014 reporting year,
the CAI Group reported a continued stabilization in
the business situation at its existing operations both in
terms of revenues and costs.
A revenue plus was reported for the casinos in
Lower Saxony, Germany. In Hungary, a total ban on slot
machines outside licensed casinos led to a significant
increase in revenues for the CAI Group’s casino in the
border town of Sopron. To accommodate the increased
demand, Casino Sopron was relocated to new, larger
premises. In contrast, the CAI Group’s operations in
Switzerland posted a drop in revenues in the first six
months of the year as a result of the strong Swiss franc.
In Denmark, the CAI Group acquired a 50 percent
stake in Casino Marienlyst A/S in Helsingør in May. In
C anada, a weak start to the year caused by the weather
was followed by a strong second half-year for the Great
Blue Heron Charity Casino in Ontario. The Corinthian
Club Casino in Glasgow, United Kingdom, was closed
with effect from the end of September 2014.
The CAI Group successfully concluded the sale of
Casino Canberra, one of its two casinos in Australia, on
31 December 2014. The sale represented an important
step towards financial consolidation. In parallel to this
sale, the CAI Group is currently conducting intensive
negotiations regarding several new projects in Southeast Asia.
Following the withdrawal of the license to operate
games of chance and lottery games in the Argentinian province of Salta in summer 2013, an arbitration
process was launched in November 2014 at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
(ICSID) in Washington, D.C. The legal basis for this
process is the breach of the investment protection
agreement between Argentina and Austria.
In October 2014, Casinos Austria International
Holding GmbH issued a swap offer for its 2010-2017
corporate bond.
40
Outlook for 2015
In December 2014, the CAI Group began operating
60 VLTs in Macedonia in cooperation with its local
partner in the country. This number is to be extended
to a total of 1,500 VLTs by the end of 2015. Online
gaming operations in Macedonia will also be launched
at the start of 2015.
The opening of a casino in Batumi, Georgia, with
12 gaming tables and around 100 gaming machines is
planned for June 2015.
The Executive Board is optimistic that the rise in
profitability at CAIH’s existing operations will continue, that the group will be able to successfully drive
new projects forward with strong partners and that it
will move on from a consolidation phase to return to a
path of growth. The management team is currently in
negotiations for numerous promising new projects.
Service, quality, integrity, responsibility and respect
for local traditions are the cornerstones of CAIH’s success, with priority given to ensuring that each individual product is optimized to best meet the needs of its
respective local market.
41
The Company
Austrian Lotteries
Following on from its excellent results in the previous year, Austrian Lotteries
raised its sales figures once again in 2014 – this time by 3.34 percent to an all-time
high of 3.15 billion euros. This strong performance can be attributed to increased
sales for almost all its lottery ticket and scratch-off card products as well as the
rise in revenues at the WINWIN VLT outlets.
Keeping its products up-to-date and attractive
for customers has always been a priority at Austrian
Lotteries. With its new TeamTipp (“team numbers”)
and Anteilsschein (“share ticket”) options, a new design
for its television broadcasts and many exciting new
Rubbellosscratch-off and Brieflos break-open ticket
products with additional chances of winning, 2014
was a year packed full of lottery innovations. The
company again posted an increase in total sales for the
year, which lay in 2014 at 3.15 billion euros, a rise of
3.34 percent compared to 2013.
A gratifying increase in sales was achieved for the
EuroMillions lottery with a plus of 5.42 percent yearon-year, a result which can be attributed to the fact
that there were three more rollover “Superpots” in 2014
than in 2013. Indeed, when the last “Superpot” rolled
over for sixth time in October, it even reached the cap
of 190 million euros. The introduction of the Anteils
schein option for EuroMillions also drove sales up. The
Lotto “6 aus 45” lottery generated a plus of 2.35 percent
compared to 2013, boosted by a series of rollover jackpots towards the end of the year, price changes in July
and the impetus obtained from the introduction of the
TeamTipp and Anteilsschein options. Sales of the Joker
and Zahlenlotto lottery products lay slightly above
the figures for the previous year. The introduction of a
Quicktipp (“lucky dip”) option for the ToiToiToi lottery
also brought a positive effect, with sales up by 2.13 percent for this game. Sales of Rubbellos scratch-off tickets
were up by 6.99 percent compared to 2013, due in
part to the extremely successful launch of several new
tickets – in particular, “Super Gold” and “Ein Leben
lang Plus”. The upward sales trend at WINWIN continued its positive course, with the VLT outlets posting an
increase in total sales of 15.19 percent year-on-year.
42
2.39 billion euros in total prize money paid out
The balance sheet of winners at Austrian Lotteries
was particularly impressive in 2014: a total of 2.39 billion euros in prize money was paid out to customers.
Likewise, there were a total of 268 “big winners” in
2014, i.e. customers who won at least 100,000 euros in
an Austrian Lotteries game. Of these big winners, 76
won with the classic Lotto product (including 61 who
picked all six correct numbers, 52 of whom won more
than a million), 31 with EuroMillions (two of whom
won more than a million), 92 with the Joker add-on
game, 23 with ToiToiToi (a numbers lottery), 18 with
the Klassenlotterie class lottery (one of whom won
more than a million), nine with Brieflos, six with the
Toto/Torwette football pool, five with Bingo, three with
Rubbellos and two with the Zahlenlotto numbers lottery, while a further three were win2day users. A total
of 61 customers throughout the year picked all six correct numbers for Lotto “6 aus 45”; for 52 of them their
six correct numbers were worth more than a million
euros – a new annual record for Lotto millionaires (the
previous record of 50 had been set in 2012). The highlights of the year were two five-time rollover jackpots;
four players shared a prize of around 9.5 million euros
in July, while two customers shared 9.9 million euros at
the end of the reporting year.
TeamTipp and Anteilsschein
Austrian Lotteries opened a new chapter in A
ustrian
lottery gaming in 2014 with its new TeamTipp and
Anteilsschein options. By purchasing a TeamTipp (literally
“team numbers”) for Lotto, EuroMillions or Toto, up to
ten people have been able to play and (potentially) win
together with the same numbers since 14 July 2014. Each
member of the team receives an individual ticket and can
thus claim their win independently of the other members.
This relegates questions like “Who should keep the team
ticket?” or “How will the winnings be split?” to history
and does away with any fears that the winnings might
ultimately not be shared.
The Lotto or EuroMillions Anteilsschein (literally
“share ticket”), which has been available since 20 October
2014, allows customers to participate in draws at a low
cost with a number of lines and thus significantly increase
their chances of winning. The customer purchases a
so-called “chance”, i.e. one or more shares in a particular
number of already played lines, and participates in any
applicable win from precisely these shares. Three different “chances” are available for both Lotto “6 aus 45” and
EuroMillions, each of which differs in the number of lines
and number of total shares – and thus also in its price.
The lines in each “chance” are picked by a random number
generator based on the Lotto or EuroMillions systems.
Customers who wish to make use of this option can do so
either via the special lottery ticket or simply by indicating
their choice to the sales assistant at the point of sale. The
Anteilsschein option can also be played on win2day.
1.2 billion euros for sport
Sports sponsorship is a social mandate that Austrian
Lotteries has proudly embraced since 1986: over the past
28 years, the company has paid a total of almost 1.23 billion euros into the Besondere Bundes-Sportförderung
(special federal sports fund). Through the sports funding provisions established in the Austrian Gaming Act
(Glücksspielgesetz), Austrian Lotteries makes a crucial
contribution to the financing of sports in Austria. Amateur sports, which play a very important role in society,
profit in particular from this solidarity model. With
the Amendment to the Austrian Gaming Act (Glücks
spielgesetz-Novelle 2008) which came into force on 19 July
2010, and beginning with the 2011 calendar year, the
Austrian Federal Government sets aside an annual sum
of 80 million euros from the taxes and fees paid by the
license holder pursuant to Section 14 of the A
ustrian
Gaming Act for the funding of sports. From 2013
onwards, this amount increases each year in line with the
extent to which the federal gaming taxes and fees paid by
the license holder pursuant to Section 14 of the Austrian
Gaming Act rose in the previous year compared to the
year before last.
447.02 million euros in tax payments
Austrian Lotteries made total tax payments
amounting to 447.02 million euros in the reporting
year; this includes gaming-related, income and other
taxes, fees and duties. Since it was founded in 1986, the
company has paid more than 9.82 billion euros in taxes
to the Republic of Austria. The 434.40 million euros
paid in gaming taxes and duties in 2014 are made up of
the license fee of 252.20 million euros, gaming taxes
of 175.77 million euros and the value added tax on VLT
revenues of 6.40 million euros.
43
The Company
New design for points of sale
The exterior signage at lottery points of sale – the
illuminated and non-illuminated bars – indicates to customers where lottery products can be purchased. Visible
from some distance, these signs are now being replaced:
a new design and new, energy-saving LED technology
give the bulbs a longer lifespan and thus extend maintenance intervals. The new signs were produced in 2014,
during which period the Austrian Lotteries external sales
representatives processed orders from points of sale.
The rollout was commenced in fall 2014 and will continue through 2015. Priority was given in the rollout to
new points of sale with Micro-Terminals, which did not
already have signage in place. Existing signs will also be
successively replaced with the new signs.
International activities
The Russisch Österreichische Lotterien Holding
Gesellschaft m.b.H. was founded in November 2008
as a joint venture between Österreichische Lotterien
Gesellschaft m.b.H., VPB Beteiligungs Gesellschaft
m.b.H. and KEBA AG. The company holds a 100 percent
stake in OOO Ural Loto, which is headquartered in the
autonomous Russian Republic of Bashkortostan and
manages lottery operations in that country.
A new Federal Lottery Act, which was passed at
short notice at the end of December 2013, forced Ural
Loto to prematurely discontinue the draws for its Lotto
“6 out of 40” and Joker products as well as the sales of
its scratch-off and break-open instant lottery tickets
with effect from 30 June 2014 – despite more than six
years of successful operations and a new sales record in
the first six months of 2014, and despite the fact that
its license was valid until mid-2018. The dissolution of
the company was begun in the fourth quarter of 2014
and, as a result of the conditions imposed by Russian
law, is expected to continue into the first quarter of
2016.
44
With its comprehensive know-how and expertise,
Austrian Lotteries had established a very successful
lottery company in Bashkortostan and thus demonstrated that it is indeed possible to set up and run a
lottery operation even in countries where the conditions are challenging. Ural Loto had a sales network of
1,520 points of sale and generated total sales in excess
of 3.3 billion roubles (80.6 million euros) between September 2009 and June 2014. The total “social tax” paid
by Ural Loto over that period – more than 8 million
euros – was used in accordance with the law to finance
welfare projects and measures and for charitable
purposes.
The Albanisch Österreichische Lotterien Holding
Gesellschaft m.b.H. was founded in September 2012
and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Österreichische
Lotterien Gesellschaft m.b.H. The company holds a
100 percent stake in Lotaria Kombëtare Sh.p.k., which
is headquartered in Tirana hat and manages lottery
operations in Albania.
Lotaria Kombëtare’s first product – the Loto
“6 nga 39” (Lotto “6 out of 39”) national lottery – was
launched on 8 April 2013. It was followed later that
year by three scratch-off ticket games – “Super Cash”,
“Arka e thesarit” and the seasonal “Surprizat e festave”.
These instant lotteries are very popular with consumers and have proved to be an excellent product for the
Albanian market.
In 2014, a second weekly draw was introduced for
Loto “6 nga 39” and the new Fito Fito numbers lottery was launched. The gaming systems were adapted
accordingly to accommodate this second draw and the
new lottery. Fito Fito is drawn daily with a fixed main
prize. It is targeted at the more economical price segment and thus attracts a broader audience than its Loto
counterpart.
The successful range of scratch-off instant lotteries was expanded by four products in 2014: “Simbolet
e Fatit” (“Lucky Symbols”) in March, “Një Det I Artë”
(“Ocean Gold”) in May, “Shesh-Besh” (“Backgammon”)
in September and the reissue of “Suprizat e Festave”
(“Festive Surprise”) in November.
Austrian Lotteries
Total sales in 2014
FACTS & FIGURES 2014
BY PRODUCT
in millions EUR
Sales
3,150.98
Product
Lotto “6 aus 45”
Total tax payments
447.02
Toto
of which gaming-related taxes and duties
434.40
Torwette
Sports funding
80.00
Income from ordinary activities (POA)
50.86
Annual income
35.88
Retained earnings
40.00
Number
Employees (FTE )
*
532
Total distribution network
5,162
Points of sale (complete product range)
4,094
“Quick” points of sale (complete product range, play slip/ticket games only as
“Quicktipp” option)
Sales outlets
*
Full-time equivalents
Bingo
EuroMillions*
ToiToiToi
Zahlenlotto 1-90
5
Change compared
to previous year
586,376,137.78
+2.35 %
8,066,998.95
-10.80 %
993,903.70
+2.13 %
10,069,672.30
-1.13 %
339,981,892.80
+5.42 %
18,765,344.00
+2.13 %
4,055,973.00
+1.28 %
Joker
182,932,051.69
+0.72 %
Rubbellos
127,730,969.00
+6.99 %
22,988,735.00
-7.78 %
31,345,806.00
-3.19 %
1,179,383,695.59
-1.52 %
Brieflos
Klassenlotterie
win2day and Keno
win2day Poker
1,063
Sales 2014
in EUR
**
WINWIN
Total
*
including share amount
**
Rake only
3,325,708.60
-16.32 %
634,958,113.97
+15.19 %
3,150,975,002.38
+3.34 %
45
The Company
win2day
Computer, tablet or smartphone – win2day is the premier address for games
of chance on the internet. The gaming site offers a range of classic Austrian
Lotteries lottery products, sports betting as well as electronic lotteries in the
form of its Casino Games, Poker Room, Bingo Room and Games Room games.
Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries operate the
win2day online gaming site via a joint subsidiary company. win2day Entwicklungs- und Betriebsgesellschaft
m.b.H. is a subsidiary of Entertainment Glücks- und
Unterhaltungsspiel Gesellschaft m.b.H., in which
Austrian Lotteries and Casinos Austria each hold a
50 percent stake. Its purpose of business is the development and operation of electronic lotteries, which are
offered via the win2day site. win2day Entwicklungs- und
Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H. has held an 80 percent share
in the Vienna-based games developer Rabcat Computer
Graphics GmbH since June 2010.
Sales of electronic lottery products (including Poker
rake) on win2day were down by 1.6 percent in 2014 compared to the previous year. This decrease is attributed
above all to the strong competition in the online gaming sector, consumer spending caution in the first six
months of the year and the general Europe-wide downturn in the Poker sector.
Electronic lotteries
The electronic lottery products on win2day are
games which are embedded in a multi-channel platform
with an integrated virtual wallet function for participation in games of chance via the internet. Pursuant to
Section 12a of the Austrian Gaming Act (Glücksspielgesetz), electronic lotteries are draws in which the player
participates directly via electronic media. The win/lose
decision for electronic lotteries is calculated centrally.
Österreichische Lotterien Ges.m.b.H. holds the license
to operate electronic lotteries pursuant to Section 12a
of the Austrian Gaming Act.
The games offered in the win2day Poker Room,
Bingo Room, Casino Games section and Games Room
are electronic lotteries. Keno is offered in accordance
with Section 12b of the Austrian Gaming Act, but is
offered exclusively via the internet on win2day.
As with all their products and services, the protection of minors and the protection of players against
excessive gambling are also a priority for Austrian
L otteries and Casinos Austria on the win2day platform.
46
New games in 2014
A range of new games were added to the win2day portfolio in 2014. In the Casino Games section, these included
the “African Dream”, “Candy Pop”, “Robbie Rich Bonus”,
“Fruit Stars” and “Lucky Dolphin” slot games, “Joker
Lady” video poker game and “Double Roulette”, a new
variation of Roulette. The “Frozen Diamonds” mini-game
was integrated into the Bingo Room, while “Fruit Stars”,
"Frozen Diamonds” and “Jacks or Better” were added to
the mobile games portfolio. These mobile games can be
played directly via win2day on mobile devices and are
optimized for the two leading mobile operating systems
(iOS and Android).
The Poker Room on win2day
In the Austria-only Poker Room on win2day, players
can try their luck at the virtual Poker tables in the
popular Texas Hold’em and Omaha variants of the
game. All the tables in the Poker room are “Austriaonly” tables. In other words, the opponents at the
tables are all players from Austria. Games are played
with 52 cards (= one deck) which are provided by the
central computer. The cards are also shuffled and dealt
randomly by a central software application. In spring
and fall 2014, additional prizes included a VW Golf
worth 20,000 euros and an extra 10,000 euros in prize
monies. Regular tournaments with attractive prizes
also feature on the program.
The Bingo Room on win2day
Draws are carried out at one-minute intervals in
the Bingo Room. Players can play up to a maximum of
30 tickets per game and can choose between tickets
with either 75 or 90 numbers. The cost of a Bingo ticket
ranges from 0 to 25 euro cents depending on the game.
Various special promotions were held to mark different
occasions throughout the year like Easter, spring, the
start of fall or Christmas. These included guaranteed
prize games, extended happy hours (with half-price
tickets), free games, picture bingo and entertaining
chat games.
Sports betting on win2day
Sports betting in cooperation with tipp3 was added
to the win2day portfolio in 2013. Sports betting transactions are handled using the player’s existing win2day
wallet (Depot). This ensures that sports betting customers are also guaranteed the full benefits of the responsible gaming and player protection measures in place on
the win2day site.
Three types of sports bets are offered on the
w in2day site. The classic sports bet is targeted at players who have a strong interest in sport and like to bet
on future sporting events. With this option, players
can select from a predefined set of possible outcomes.
In contrast, players who opt for the live bet option
wager on events that are currently underway. win2day’s
third sports betting option, the Quicktipp (“quick bet”)
with a 25 percent odds bonus, offers players a simple,
straightforward introduction to the world of sports betting. With just one click, they can place a bet on the top
teams in the European leagues. The odds bonus adds to
the package to produce very attractive total odds.
win2day on social media
An active exchange of information with users is
carried out via the win2day Facebook page. On this
page, win2day responds to questions about the games
on its site and asks users for their feedback and opinions. The information received is then fed into the
product development process. News about what’s going
on at w
in2day is also posted, and various prize games
are held on Facebook. At the end of 2014, the win2day
Facebook page had around 21,000 friends.
The win2day Twitter feed is also increasingly
gaining in popularity. At the end of 2014, win2day had
around 1,200 Twitter followers, who – like their Facebook counterparts – are supplied with regular information and news relating to win2day and receive answers
to their questions and inquiries.
New advertising campaign
win2day launched its new TV and internet advertising campaign on 8 September 2014. Directed by Oscar
prize winner Stefan Ruzowitzky, the first of the new
adverts was filmed in Vienna’s stately Palais Liechtenstein. The communication concept behind the advert
centers on the core message “Gaming on win2day: relax
and enjoy the fun”. The advert charmingly combines
old-style Austrian flair with the modern gaming experience. Empress Elisabeth, affectionately known throughout the land as Sisi, radiates joie de vivre in the leading
role and takes some time out from her regal duties for
a spot of amusement on the win2day site. The advert
clearly demonstrates that pride in its Austrian roots is
also a cornerstone of the win2day brand identity.
47
The Company
WINWIN – Video Lottery Terminals
Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries offer a unique combination of café, bar
and gaming via a joint subsidiary at WINWIN outlets across Austria. WINWIN is
synonymous with gaming and entertainment at the highest level.
The WINWIN outlets are meeting places for fun-
loving, entertainment-minded people who enjoy a good
night out. They offer guests aged 18 or over the opportunity to try their luck on cutting edge video lottery
terminals (VLTs) in a stylish setting, with good value
bistro cuisine, well-trained staff and regular live music
events and entertainment programs.
Glücks- und Unterhaltungsspiel Betriebsgesellschaft
m.b.H. is a subsidiary of Entertainment Glücks- und
Unterhaltungsspiel Gesellschaft m.b.H., a joint venture between Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries
in which each holds a 50 percent share. Its purpose of
business is the operation of video lottery terminals,
which are offered in Austria under the WINWIN brand.
Österreichische Lotterien Gesellschaft m.b.H. holds
the concession for VLTs pursuant to Section 12a of the
Austrian Gaming Act (Glücksspielgesetz). In the W
INWIN
VLT outlets context, Austrian L
otteries supplies in particular the technical know-how, while C
asinos Austria is
responsible for the operative concept.
2014 was an extremely successful year for WINWIN:
sales for the year were up by about 15.2 percent to
634.96 million euros.
Video Lottery Terminals are optically similar to
the classic slot machines found in casinos, but differ
in their gaming mechanism. While each slot machine
calculates its win/lose decisions independently via
a random generator, this decision is calculated for
VLTs by a central random generator – based on predetermined odds and payout rates. The games on VLTs
constitute electronic lotteries. As an Austrian Lotteries
sales partner, the company offers electronic lotteries in
the form of VLTs in the name and on behalf of Austrian
Lotteries under the WINWIN brand. Electronic lotteries are defined in Section 12a of the Austrian Gaming
Act as draws in which the player participates directly
via electronic media.
48
Each WINWIN outlet is an attractive and important
addition to the local and regional leisure and tourism
amenities on offer in its host location. With each outlet,
WINWIN also generates qualified jobs and offers a
responsible, legal alternative to low-bet slot machines,
border casinos and illegal gambling facilities.
Preparations for the introduction of player cards
and connection to the Federal Computing Center
Since 1 January 2015, a maximum of 50 terminals
are permissible at each WINWIN outlet, and a gaming
area access system is obligatory by law. Likewise, each
individual VLT must now be connected to the Austrian
Federal Computing Center. These changes required
extensive alterations and gaming infrastructure measures in all existing WINWIN outlets, work on which
commenced in August 2014.
In concrete terms, the gastronomy area must now
be physically separated from the gaming area, guests
are required to complete a registration process when
they enter an outlet, a new player card has been introduced, each terminal must be connected to the Federal
Computing Center and adaptations had to be made
to the gaming system and the terminals. WINWIN
guests were informed about the changes – in particular the introduction of the mandatory player card – in
October 2014.
WINWIN locations in 2014
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mayrhofen
Lienz
Ebreichsdorf
Schärding
Zell am See
Bruck/Leitha
Steyr
Wels
Landeck
Vöcklabruck
Kufstein
Krems
Salzburg
Tyrol21.05.2004
Tyrol14.08.2004
Lower Austria04.09.2004
Upper Austria21.04.2005
Salzburg23.03.2006
Tyrol23.04.2008
Tyrol14.05.2009
Salzburg24.05.2012
49
The Company
tipp3
For Austria’s leading sports betting provider, the FIFA World Cup in Brazil was
the strongest revenue-generating event in its 2014 betting program. With its
new mobile application and digital tippBox, tipp3 realized two further innovative
betting projects.
Österreichische Sportwetten Gesellschaft m.b.H.
was founded in April 2000 and began its gaming operations on 24 August 2001. The company is a subsidiary
of Entertainment Glücks- und Unterhaltungsspiel
Gesellschaft m.b.H. (56 percent), Mediaprint Zeitungsund Zeitschriftenverlag GmbH & Co. KG (26 percent)
and Bundesländerverlage Beteiligungsgesellschaft
m.b.H. (18 percent). Casinos Austria AG and Austrian
Lotteries each hold a 50 percent share in Entertainment
Glücks- und Unterhaltungsspiel Gesellschaft m.b.H.
A readily accessible, always up-to-date betting
information service is available in the shareholders’
50
print media; the daily newspapers can use this service
to strengthen their customer loyalty. In Austria, up
to ten cumulated sports bets on a fixed odds basis do
not fall under the state gambling monopoly. Licenses
for sports betting of this kind are issued under the
provisions established by law in the country’s individual federal states. Österreichische Sportwetten
Gesellschaft m.b.H. holds licenses from all nine federal
states to provide such sports betting services. tipp3
bets can only be placed – both in sales outlets and via
the internet – by persons aged 18 or over.
Introduction of a mobile version
In response to the growing customer trend towards
mobile applications, tipp3 introduced a mobile version
of its tipp3.at betting service in the run-up to the 2014
FIFA World Cup. The mobile version is easy to use and
features a clear and characteristic design. User numbers
confirm the success of this approach – around 30 percent
of tipp3’s online customers are already using the mobile
version.
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil was the strongest
event of the reporting year for tipp3 in betting revenue
terms. The attractive kick-off times for sports betting
customers, strong interest in matches featuring the
German national team and the balanced mix of wins
by the favorites and surprise results all contributed
to making this a very successful event both for the
numerous new customers and for the bookmakers. At
the next major international football event – the UEFA
EURO 2016 in France – the Austrian national team will
hopefully also being playing. This was just one of the
reasons why tipp3 extended its sponsoring agreement
with the Austrian Football Association and its advertising cooperation with the team’s successful trainer
Marcel Koller.
Digital tipp3 betting with the tippBox
With its digital tippBox, tipp3 launched a new
generation of betting devices in its sales outlets. The
tippBox is easy to use, provides safe and reliable transactions and offers many advantages. Users select and
place their bets on a touchscreen, collect their printout
and hand it to the tobacconist to pay and receive their
customary betting slip. The first ten tippBox devices
were installed in Vienna at the end of November 2014.
Up to 300 devices are expected to be installed nationwide by March 2015. The new devices save time both
for the sales outlets and for customers, who also profit
at the same time from the accustomed high quality and
security of tipp3 transactions.
Sports betting license in Germany
The tender process for the award of the German
bookmaker license was still not concluded at the end
of 2014. The Ministry of Internal Affairs in Hessen
did, however, make a preliminary announcement to
the following effect: after thorough examination and
evaluation by the licensing board, the application submitted by Deutsche Sportwetten GmbH (a joint venture between Deutsche Telekom and Österreic hische
Sportwetten GmbH/tipp3) for a sports betting license
has been ranked 11th of the approximately 150 applications received. The licensing board intends in a further
step to issue a license to the 20 best ranked applicants,
and thus also to Deutsche Sportwetten GmbH. The process has unfortunately been further delayed by legal
petitions submitted by the lower ranked bidders.
Better Game Solutions (BGS)
BGS is the solution provider for sports betting
products in the Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries
Group. At the same time, BGS is also the brand with
which Österreichische Sportwetten GmbH targets
institutional customers. BGS offers modern, failsafe
systems and comprehensive consulting services in the
design, marketing and operation of gaming and betting
products to gaming and betting providers and other
companies who wish to enter the sports betting market.
51
Shaken or stirred –
we offer the perfect mix
An evening in one of our casinos is an evening full of variety, entertainment and great gaming fun. A perfect mix that also continues in
our casino bars and casino lounges. From Austrian wines and international cocktails to alcohol-free drinks, we know what modern-day
customers like – and offer the right drink for every taste.
Ì
Did you know that guests in our casino bars
and casino restaurants can choose from a selection
of 188 drinks?
2014 Financial Year
Economic Update
Austria’s economy was unable to pick up speed in 2014
as originally forecast. While the signs at the beginning
of the year still indicated recovery, growth came de
facto to a standstill in the second half of the year. Gross
domestic product (GDP) grew only by 0.4 percent compared to 2013. This was largely due among other things
to subdued end-user demand in key European customer
markets like Italy and Germany. The conflict between
Russia and the Ukraine also left its mark on the foreign
trade balance. Real growth in exports slowed overall in
2014 to 1.2 percent. Economists predict similar cautious economic growth in Austria for 2015 (forecasted
GDP growth: 0.5 percent).
54
Against the background of this difficult economic
situation, business confidence increasingly dampened
over the course of the reporting year. This was reflected,
in turn, in a comparatively low readiness to invest by
the corporate sector. Private consumer spending did,
however, have a stabilizing effect on the economy:
despite only moderate growth in household income,
consumer spending not only maintained its previous
year’s level, it also grew to a slight extent. Consumers
spent proportionally more on education and training
and on recreation and leisure activities (travel, entertainment, and the arts), while increasingly deferring,
or at least delaying, purchasing decisions for durable
goods. Savings once again lay at a very low level: private
households set aside only 6.3 percent of their disposable income for savings.
The general rise in prices noticeably subsided in
Austria in 2014: the average inflation rate dropped
from 2 percent in the previous year to 1.7 percent.
Food, services and rent prices numbered among the key
price drivers in the reporting year, while the trend in
fuel prices helped to slow inflation. The negative trend
in the Austrian labor market continued, as had already
been evident in previous years in the form of continuously rising unemployment figures. The Eurostat unemployment rate for Austria rose in the reporting year to
5 percent and is forecast to grow to 5.3 percent in 2015.
The reasons for this are the constantly growing supply
of labor, in particular job-seekers without Austrian
citizenship, and the subdued economic momentum.
Domestic tourism can look back on a good year
in 2014, albeit not as strong a year as 2013. The total
number of overnight stays lay at 131.9 million, a slight
decrease of 0.6 percent compared to the record level
reported in the previous year. The main reason for
this was an almost 8 percent drop in Russian tourist
visitors, a further consequence of the conflict between
Russia and the Ukraine (sanctions, travel bans and the
falling rouble). Clear differences between the east and
the west of the country could also be seen in the reporting year in the comparison of overnight stays in the
individual federal states: Vienna (+6.4 percent), Lower
Austria (+2.9 percent) and Burgenland (+2.1 percent)
all reported a rise in overnight stays, while corresponding figures were down in Vorarlberg (-3.8 percent) and
Tyrol (-1.7 percent). In absolute terms, Tyrol remains,
however, by far the undisputed favorite destination for
tourist visitors to Austria.
From a global perspective, the hoped-for upturn
failed to materialize in 2014. Global economic growth
remained at the previous year’s level of 3.3 percent. On
a regional level, very different trends could, however, be
observed. While economic recovery in North America,
for example, continued to stabilize, Japan slipped once
again into recession in the second half of the reporting
year. In Europe, the combination of political unrest
in Ukraine and weak industrial output in the major
economies contributed in particular to the sentiment
of gloom. There were, however, also some positive
signs, above all the economic upswing in the EU’s
crisis-riddenperipheral Member States. On aggregate,
economic output in the 28 EU Member States rose in
the reporting year by 1.3 percent.
The emerging market countries once again lost
momentum in 2014. More specifically, economic growth
in the emerging and developing countries weakened
from 4.7 percent in the previous year to 4.4 percent in
2014. The falling prices on the international commodities markets contributed significantly to this drop,
with the effects felt here most severely in the Latin
American countries. Brazil, the largest economy in
this region, was, for instance, confronted with economic stagnation in 2014. In contrast, growth in Asia
remained comparatively robust, not least as a consequence of strong growth in GDP in China (+7.4 percent).
From a l onger-term perspective, economic growth does,
however, also appear to be slowing here, a trend which
current forecasts suggest will continue in the coming
years. Indeed, forecasters predict that growth in China
will already fall below the 7 percent mark in 2015.
55
2014 Financial Year
Revenues and Earnings
Results were gratifyingly positive at our 12 domestic casinos in 2014: C
asinos
Austria posted a 6 percent increase in guest numbers and a 3.2 percent increase
in revenues, generated in equal measure from rising gaming revenues and a
healthy plus at the Cuisino food and beverage subsidiary.
2014 was a very active and eventful year for Casinos
Austria on many counts. With total investments in
the double digit millions, the company refurbished
its casinos in Bregenz, Velden, Salzburg and Vienna,
giving each of them a brand new look that caters to
the demands of contemporary leisure guests. The eight
casino restaurants operated by Casinos Austria flourished under the new Cuisino food and beverage (F&B)
brand, and the launch of Double Roulette introduced a
new variation of the game in which small bets have the
chance to win up to 1,200 times the amount bet.
Guests acknowledged all these measures and flocked
in increasing numbers to the 12 Austrian casinos,
which welcomed a total of 2,504,422 guests in 2014,
a rise of 6 percent year-on-year. Revenues were up by
3.2 percent to 271.6 million euros, generated in equal
measure from rising gaming revenues and a healthy
plus at the Cuisino F&B subsidiary.
Revenues 2014
Casino
Revenues in EUR
Bregenz
60,968,397
Wien
49,678,044
Linz
24,885,142
Innsbruck
23,870,709
Salzburg
22,061,330
Baden
20,508,397
Velden
18,589,572
Seefeld
13,412,015
Graz
12,360,863
Kitzbühel
7,045,635
Kleinwalsertal
3,683,129
Bad Gastein
1,280,874
Total
258,344,107
Guests 2014
Casino
National Guests
International Guests
Total
Wien
184,861
286,555
471,416
Bregenz
184,478
163,196
347,674
Linz
144,215
173,326
317,541
Baden
101,514
215,305
316,819
Graz
228,227
25,714
253,941
Velden
129,679
70,494
200,173
Innsbruck
158,841
41,243
200,084
Salzburg
106,345
72,582
178,927
Seefeld
38,325
69,176
107,501
Kitzbühel
30,397
24,540
54,937
3,731
37,062
40,793
Kleinwalsertal
Bad Gastein
Total
56
7,298
7,318
14,616
1,317,911
1,186,511
2,504,422
The new façade at Casino Bregenz
Total investments in the double digit millions
Casinos Austria invests extensively in its 12 casinos
every year to ensure they always keep pace with the latest trends and remain attractive gaming and entertainment destinations. This applies both to the gaming mix
and staff training as well as to the physical buildings.
Preference is given to domestic suppliers in the commissioning of goods and services. In this way, Casinos
Austria strengthens the domestic economy and the
competitive standing of Austria.
In 2014, comprehensive renovation, refurbishment
and construction work was carried out in our casinos
in Bregenz, Velden and Vienna. Casino Salzburg also
launched the planning permission phase for its planned
refurbishment.
With construction work completed in just under six
months, the new facilities and new Casino Lounge at
Casino Bregenz were officially opened in September
2014. The venue has been given a completely new façade
on the side of the building facing the lake as well as a new
summer lounge overlooking the festival square. In the first
phase of construction, Casinos Austria has invested over
4 million euros in its highest revenue generating casino,
where the gaming facilities in the casual Jackpot Casino
have been expanded to provide an additional 200 square
meters of floor space and the Casino Lounge features an
additional 250 square meters of relaxation space. The new,
floodlit façade is a real eye-catcher – and is the first project
of its kind to have been realized worldwide by the contractor, Zumtobel Lighting. The façade is illuminated using
cutting-edge LED technology: each of the 6,500 LED spots
can be individually regulated. A further focus was placed
on expanding the venue’s F&B facilities. The FALSTAFF
Casino Velden shines in a new light
Lounge, which is located over the Jackpot Casino and
directly adjoins the casino restaurant, now has a floor
space of 460 square meters. The redesigned Casino Bar,
where guests can sink into comfortable lounge sofas and
enjoy the view of the lake through a 20-meter panorama
window, lies in the heart of the casino. It links the main
gaming room, the slots gaming room and the Poker area
in the Arik Brauer room with the new, 360-square-meter
Casino Lounge. All these additions reflect modern trends
and cater perfectly to the needs of contemporary guests.
With over 316,000 guests each year, Casino Bregenz is a
real crowd-puller and a leading tourist venue in the region.
The innovative concept was realized by Rudolf T
roppmair
and Albrecht Prokop at Innsbruck-based architects
ArtArch 23. Over 35 companies and more than 185 craftsmen were involved in the project, with all construction
and refurbishment work completed without closing the
venue.
Work will continue in a second construction phase
in 2015 with the installation of sun shades in the Cloud
Lounge on the summer terrace, thereby completing
the overall F&B construction concept. A conservatory
directly adjoining the Cloud Lounge will be added to
the existing FALSTAFF casino restaurant to provide a
further 50 seats. By the end of the second construction
phase, the newly constructed façade will encase the
entire building in a homogeneous lighting concept.
57
2014 Financial Year
The new Cuisino restaurant in Casino Wien
In Casino Velden, all that remains of the old look
is the imposing water feature. The complete exterior
façade has been replaced and a new wave-like canopy
roof added. The new construction harmonizes perfectly
with the “shared space” project realized by the local
authorities in Velden, the federal state of Carinthia
and Casinos Austria in the area in front of the casino.
The project provided the town’s tourist center with a
new relaxation zone where people can linger and enjoy
a stroll. The wave-like canopy roof bathes the square
in front of the casino in new light using modern LED
technology. The reconstruction work at Casino Velden
began in m
id-September 2013. The new-look façade was
officially inaugurated on 3 May 2014 during the casino’s
25th anniversary celebrations.
Casino Wien was also extensively adapted in 2014.
To accommodate the venue’s new F&B facilities, the second floor of the casino had to be completely redesigned.
Vienna-based architect Michael Manzenreiter was
commissioned to develop an upmarket restaurant in the
casino. Inspired by the red elevator in Wes Anderson’s
film Grand Budapest Hotel, the new restaurant offers
two separate dining rooms – a red and a gray salon. An
international clientele increasingly demands a combination of upscale dining and excellent gaming in a special
setting. With its impressive new restaurant, Casino
Wien now clearly more than meets this demand.
Safe emergency routes, barrier-free access, employee
protection and fire safety are the keywords for the
planned renovations at Casino Salzburg. Public buildings in Austria must provide barrier-free access from
1 January 2016. To provide such access, Casino Salzburg
58
intends to install two elevators. Current plans foresee
the installation of these elevators in two towers. These
towers will be built at the rear of the palace and will thus
be almost “invisible” to guests. Renovating the baroque
Klessheim Palace, which is home to Casino Salzburg, is a
challenging endeavor as the listed building is subject to
strict conservation rules.
Casinos Austria certified as leading company
According to the widely accepted definition, a leading
company is an enterprise which does not focus on shortterm profit but on long-term, sustainable corporate
success and, as such, demonstrates a particularly high
level of responsibility to society.
Casinos Austria is such a leading company. The
12 casinos in Austria provide impetus to the region,
contribute to value creation in far more than just
revenue terms, and do so with a clear focus on sustainability. Casinos Austria’s extraordinary range of
products and services also convinced the Leitbetriebe
Institut, Austria’s Institute of Leading Companies, and
not for the first time. On 21 July 2014, Casinos Austria
was certified as a Leading company by this institute.
The extensive and precisely documented certification
process focused in particular on sustainability, market
positioning, corporate social responsibility, staff and
general stakeholder orientation. The individual criteria
were assessed in line with specific guidelines, similar
to a credit rating or corporate assessment procedure.
C asinos Austria is the only gaming company to have
been successfully certified by the Leitbetriebe Institut.
Corporate Social Responsibility
At Casinos Austria, sustainability means accepting and demonstrating responsibility to society, to the environment and to our staff as well as managing the
company to economic success.
Casinos Austria is fully aware of the responsibility that
comes with its particular position and with the sensitivity of the services it offers – and is willing to act
accordingly. At a time when the company is affected by
the national and international debate surrounding the
organization of the gaming industry, it seems particularly important to set a clear example in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR). As a good corporate
citizen, Casinos Austria increasingly seeks to cooperate
and enter into open dialogue with its stakeholders.
Traditional CSR issues, such as long-term respect for
the environment and the workforce, acknowledgement
and acceptance of responsibility to society, the promotion of cultural diversity and the specific issues associated with the gaming business, such as money laundering, player protection and responsible gaming, are all
attracting increased public and media interest. Society
rightly expects a gambling company like C
asinos
Austria to set itself particularly strict standards of
conduct in this regard. Accordingly, Casinos Austria
was one of the first gaming companies worldwide to
implement a systematic CSR management structure
that reports directly to the management board. This
structure has subsequently been continually reinforced
and expanded over the years. The company has been
reporting publicly on its CSR activities for the last eight
years and documents its CSR practices in its regular
CSR reports.
For Casinos Austria, sustainability also means
actively supporting different projects and causes in all
sectors of society. Through our extensive sponsoring
activities and our commitment to and partnerships
with numerous organizations, we support and fund
many sporting initiatives and good causes. We are also
one of the most important and dedicated sponsors of
culture and the arts in Austria. There are many sides
to sustainability – both in society and in our own clear
commitment to it.
CSR is a matter for the entire Casinos Austria and
Austrian Lotteries Group. Our employees assume
responsibility in their daily work and actions. The joint
CSR Report published by Casinos Austria and Austrian
Lotteries in fall 2014 not only demonstrates how they
actively embrace and practice this responsibility, it also
documents our goal: our corporate behavior and actions
should ultimately serve the good of all Austrians.
To establish a network with other companies who
demonstrate a similar commitment to their social
responsibility, Casinos Austria became a member of
respACT, Austria’s most important CSR promoter,
in 2008. The group joined the United Nations Global
Compact in January 2011 and Transparency International (Austrian Chapter) in February of the same
year. Casinos Austria is a proactive contributor to all
these organizations. In this regard, a meeting was
arranged in October 2014 between Casinos Austria’s
Director Dietmar Hoscher and the Executive Director
of UN Global Compact Georg Kell. At this meeting, they
discussed the future development of the UN Global
Compact, and a copy of the group’s latest CSR Report
was handed over.
was – and indeed still is – actively involved in the
development of Austrian and international CSR standards, for example the “Strategic Guidelines for the
Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR Guidelines)” produced by the Austrian Standards
Institute and the ISO 26000 “Social Responsibility”
Standard.
59
2014 Financial Year
Since it is important for genuine CSR in an organization to involve as many members of staff as possible
in such projects, or at least keep them informed about
what is going on, an ever-increasing focus has been
placed in recent years on facilitating such involvement. In 2014, an internal CSR forum was established
in the Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries Group.
Representatives of the different Business Units and
Corporate Functions now meet once a month in this
forum to discuss CSR issues and initiate CSR projects.
The minutes and documents produced at these meetings
are published on the group intranet, where they can be
accessed and commented on by all members of staff.
In 2014, the cooking for a good cause initiative that
was launched back in 2010 was repeated on almost
60
a monthly basis. The staff from across the Casinos
Austria and Austrian Lotteries Group who participate
in this initiative come together to cook a meal for
people in need, initially at the Gruft homeless shelter in
Vienna and more recently at the city’s ‘s Häferl, a meeting place and reintegration center for former convicts.
The Casinos Austria Group is an important and
successful flagship enterprise for the Austrian economy as a whole. Sustainability and responsibility in our
daily business and in our ongoing cooperation and work
with society are central pillars of our corporate success.
Ensuring that they remain so in the future is a challenge that we both welcome and embrace.
In 2015, Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries will
publish a joint CSR Communication on Progress (COP).
Responsible Gaming
Casinos Austria has been an international pioneer in the responsible gaming
field for many years. With the successful certification of our responsible
gaming management system in February 2014, our commitment to player
protection and responsible gaming was once again clearly confirmed.
A visit to a casino should provide gambling fun in a
pleasant setting and should be an exciting leisure experience. Indeed, most people gamble responsibly and
within their means.
Gambling can, however, in certain circumstances,
become a problem for some people. Casinos Austria is
fully aware of and acknowledges this fact. As a casino
operator and provider of games of chance, our guest
policy makes a decisive contribution to minimizing the
undesired effects of gambling; this is also our regulatory mandate. Responsible gaming is also fundamental to business in our affiliated companies Austrian
L otteries, Casinos Austria International, win2day,
WINWIN and tipp3.
The group’s Corporate Function Responsible Gaming, Advertising & Sponsoring develops and implements the corresponding strategies and measures to
protect our players and customers. The most important
instruments here include educating and informing people about the risks of gambling, the use of responsible
advertising and sponsoring strategies, the provision of
self-monitoring options for players and customers and
the availability of appropriate exclusion options on the
part of the company. Extensive networking with external institutions like universities and research institutes
and the growing number of studies published in recent
years establish the basis for effective measures to
prevent gambling addiction. Equally important here are
cooperation activities with counseling and treatment
facilities, which help to identify those products with the
strongest links to the potential emergence of a gambling
addiction problem. This information is, in turn, instrumental in efforts to prevent at-risk gamblers from
drifting into addiction.
For Casinos Austria, perfect customer service
extends beyond the actual visit to a casino. The high
level of player protection that sets the company apart
and guarantees fun gaming without a bitter aftertaste starts the moment a guest registers with us in
the casino lobby. Recognizing the early warning signs
is a fundamental aspect here. We therefore provide
our employees with regular and thorough training to
ensure they are able to recognize the tell-tale signs in
a guest’s gaming behavior. This training is organized
in cooperation with renowned counseling centers and
treatment facilities.
Section 25 (3) of the Austrian Gaming Act (Glücks
spielgesetz) stipulates that only specially trained staff
may talk to players about a potential gambling problem.
The staff who do so at Casinos Austria all have sound
knowledge of gambling addiction and are highly aware
of the sensitivity of their work. The number of staff
trained to handle such situations grows each year,
and they are all required to attend a corresponding
refresher course and/or take new courses in relevant
subjects every year. Our interdisciplinary training measures teach staff about gambling addiction problems,
diagnostics, prevention and the basic treatment options
available. In addition to the statutory requirements,
our training also addresses legal, social and psychological aspects.
The high standard of training provided to our staff
plays a significant role in the identification of any telltale signs in a person’s gaming behavior. Our technical
security facilities and measures make a further essential contribution and begin right at the entrance to our
casinos with our strict entry check procedures. Permanent monitoring of gaming behavior also requires the
continual gathering of data. If the number of visits, frequency of money exchange transactions or the amounts
involved raise cause for concern, a credit report is
obtained and a meeting held between the guest and a
member of the casino staff. As intended by the related
provisions in the Austrian Gaming Act, these meetings
result in most cases in a reduction in visit frequency
and in the level of amounts bet. If this should prove not
to be the case, a further meeting is held with the guest
to discuss the potential need for restrictive measures
such as an entry ban or restriction in the number of
permitted visits in a given period.
61
2014 Financial Year
Staff from all our casinos once again participated
with great interest in the responsible gaming training
courses that were provided in 2014. The group’s responsible gaming experts provided in-depth information on
the latest gambling addiction research findings, while
local counseling and treatment facilities came to the
casinos to give presentations. This provided our casino
staff with an opportunity to familiarize themselves
with the services provided by these facilities, gain a
comprehensive overview of the diagnosis and treatment
of gambling addiction and obtain concrete insights into
the work of such counseling or treatment facilities.
Certified responsible gaming
All responsible gaming and responsible advertising measures at Casinos Austria are managed through
our responsible gaming management system. We had
always sought a possibility to obtain certification for
our responsible gaming activities and finally achieved
this objective in February 2014. To obtain this certification, our responsible gaming and responsible advertising instruments were subjected to an intensive audit by
the Austrian Standards Institute using the certification
criteria developed by the European Casino Association
(ECA). The certification process involved an intensive
audit of several different areas of activity, namely staff
training in responsible gaming, information for casino
guests, access controls, advertising and marketing,
alcohol sales, stakeholder involvement and researching/
raising awareness of risk factors in the development
of new gaming products. Casinos Austria is the first
gaming company worldwide to have its responsible
gaming management system certified according to ECA
standards, thereby reinforcing and once again living up
to our reputation as a pioneer in this field.
62
Free telephone hotline: 0800 202 304
When it comes in particular to the delicate topic of
responsible gaming and player protection, a provider of
gambling products and services must be easily reachable and offer its customers professional information,
help and solutions. A uniform responsible gaming
telephone hotline for all questions relating to responsible gaming and player protection is in place for all
companies in the group. The hotline is free of charge in
Austria and can be reached on the following number:
0800 202 304.
Dedicated responsible gaming website provides
comprehensive information
The information provided on the dedicated responsible gaming website – spiele-mit-verantwortung.at – is
prepared with the end-user in mind and offers clear and
simple access to relevant content relating to this topic. A
strong emphasis has been placed on the site on the visual
representation of ten recommendations for responsible
gaming. In addition to these recommendations for a riskfree approach to gambling, the site’s home page provides
information on how to contact the free nationwide
hotline as well as direct links to an anonymous self-test
and to counseling centers in Austria which offer professional advice and treatment for gambling addicts and
their relatives. The website also includes information on
the risks of gambling, the legal situation and gambling
addiction as well as key contact details. The information
is rounded off with details of the odds and the probabilities of winning for the individual games and products
offered by the companies in the Casinos Austria and
Austrian Lotteries Group.
Responsible advertising
Casinos Austria has always voluntarily based its
advertising activities on high ethical standards. An
11-point “Code of Conduct Responsible Advertising”
ensures that all our advertising and sales activities
adhere to the highest ethical standards and, in particular, are not targeted at any vulnerable groups who
might be at risk of developing a gambling problem. Full
adherence to the Code of Conduct Responsible Advertising is ensured by mandatory procedures, which are
applicable across all companies in the group. All advertising activities are checked for adherence to the code
and individually approved by the Corporate Function
Responsible Gaming, Advertising & Sponsoring prior to
commission and implementation.
1th Responsible Gaming Academy with experts 1
from around the globe
The annual Responsible Gaming Academy was held
for the 11th time on 22 May 2014 in Vienna. Launched
and hosted by Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries,
the event once again brought together top responsible
gaming experts from around the globe in Studio 44 and
attracted a record 240 delegates.
Herbert Beck, Head of the Corporate Function
Responsible Gaming, Advertising & Sponsoring, welcomed the delegates, who this year included members
of staff from the companies in the Casinos Austria and
Austrian Lotteries Group, representatives of government ministries as well as employees from renowned
gambling addiction counseling centers and treatment
facilities.
This training and further education measure was
launched back in 2004 to provide training to our staff
and, above all, to facilitate dialog and knowledge
sharing with national and international experts. In the
meantime, the Responsible Gaming Academy has gone
on to become the most important conference of its kind
in Austria. At the 2014 academy, a panel of internationally renowned speakers once again accepted the
invitation to present and discuss current topics in the
responsible gaming field.
Prof. Dr. Jeffrey L. Derevensky from McGill
University in Canada reported on the frequently
underestimated addictive potential of social media
games for youth. Prof. Dr. Per Binde from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden provided key insights
into gambling advertising. Dr. Tobias Hayer from
the University of Bremen in Germany talked about
risk potential in sports betting. Prof. Dr. Herwig
Scholz from the Competence Center for Behavioral
Dependence and Self-Efficacy in Treffen, Austria, and
Doris Malischnig, Head of the Prevention Department at the Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries
Group, described “Innovative Training and Competence
Development Concepts”, the modular training course
for specially trained responsible gaming staff held in
fall 2014. Prof. Dr. Neven Ricijaš from the University
of Zagreb reported on youth gambling in Croatia, and
D r. Doris Kohl, long-time Head of the Responsible
Gaming Department at the Austrian Federal Ministry
of Finance and now a Judge at the Federal Administrative Court in Vienna, provided an overview of the
regulatory framework for gambling in Austria.
Friedrich Stickler, Deputy Chairman of Austrian
Lotteries and President of the European Lottery Association, focused in his opening address on the lack of
coherence in the regulation of gambling, noting: “There
is a great imbalance between very heavily regulated,
legal, licensed operators on the one side and a huge
market of illegal operators on the other, who can go
about their business virtually unimpeded. There is an
urgent need for action here.”
With over 1,800 delegates and more than 50 high-
caliber speakers to date, the RGA is an important
component of the comprehensive responsible gaming concept in place at Casinos Austria and Austrian
Lotteries.
63
There can sometimes be many
sides and faces to luck.
An international gaming mix is offered as a matter of course in our
c asinos. And that wouldn’t be complete without those red dice so often
seen bouncing across the table in Hollywood movies. Whatever your
preference – Seven Eleven or Sic Bo – our croupiers are all highly trained –
and more than happy to provide a spontaneous, entertaining introduction
to the rules of the game.
Ì
Did you know that all the dice in a set are replaced if one of them lands on the floor?
2014 Financial Year
(from l. to r.): Karin Bergmann (Director of the Burgtheater in Vienna), Karl Stoss (Chairman of Casinos Austria)
Sponsoring
Sponsoring is an integral part of social responsibility. At Casinos Austria,
diversity and sustainability take priority in our sponsoring activities. Under
the motto “Good for Austria”, the group supports institutions and initiatives
working in the interests of Austria and the Austrian population.
The focus of sponsoring at Casinos Austria lies on
commitment to and engagement in social projects, the
promotion of the arts, culture and tourism and the support of sporting activities. Social responsibility through
sponsoring is an active part of our corporate culture,
and we support a diverse range of institutions, activities and initiatives – from leading theaters, museums
or opera festivals to integration football world championships and dance workshops for both able-bodied
and disabled people. In addition to the actual sponsoring partnership, all these institutions, activities and
initiatives also have something else very important in
66
common with Casinos Austria: the all-round experience
as a central element of entertainment.
Sponsoring at Casinos Austria is not only diverse,
it is also sustainable and long-term – as demonstrated,
for example, by our many, long-standing cooperation
partnerships. We have been supporting the Wiener
Festwochen arts festival in Vienna, for instance, for
47 years. Our partnership with the Bregenz Festival has
been in place for 35 years, and we have sponsored the
Casino Grand Prix, Austria’s largest and most lucrative
show jumping tournament, for the past 27 years.
Stage setting at the Bregenz Festival in 2014
Bregenz Festival
Long-term, reliable sponsoring partners are particularly important in the arts and culture sector. Large,
extravagant events like the Bregenz Festival need
sponsors for whom supporting the arts has been part
of their own corporate culture for many years. With the
coming 2015 season, the partnership between Casinos
Austria and the Bregenz Festival will be entering its
35th year. That represents over three decades of internationally acclaimed performances like Porgy & Bess,
Nabucco, Carmen, A Masked Ball, Aida or the 2014 production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute on the floating stage
on Lake Constance.
Wiener Festwochen
Casinos Austria has literally grown up alongside
a very special arts project: the Wiener Festwochen
arts festival in Vienna. Over a six-week period in May
and June each year, artistic diversity is the name
of the game in the Austrian capital. This successful,
long-standing partnership has been in place now for
47 years.
(from l. to r.): Emmanuel Tjeknavorian (Winner of the 2014 Rising
Star Award), Dietmar Hoscher (Director of Casinos Austria)
Burgtheater and Akademietheater
On the 13th of each month, patrons in Vienna can
enjoy theater performances at a very special price. With
the sponsoring initiative “Every 13th in the 13th row for
just 13 euros”, the number 13 becomes a lucky number
for theater-goers as well. The partnership with the
Burgtheater has been in place since the 2006/2007
season, while the partnership with the Akademietheater
was launched in 2012.
Rising Star Award
Our sponsoring activities don’t, however, just focus
on nurturing existing values – we also initiate and support new projects. Under the motto “Working together
for the stars of the future”, the Casinos Austria Rising
Star Award (CARSA) for promising young musicians
was presented in 2014 for the second time in cooperation with mdw, the University of Music and Performing
Arts Vienna. The aim of the 10,000 euro award, which
is directed at mdw students, is to provide young artists
with the start-up capital to embark on a professional
music career. The high-caliber jury led by Wiener
Festwochen Director Markus Hinterhäuser awarded
the CARSA 2014 to the 19-year-old violin virtuoso
Emmanuel Tjeknavorian.
67
2014 Financial Year
Casinos Austria Integration Football World Cup
Casinos Austria Integration Football World Cup
The Casinos Austria Integration Football World
Cup is an amateur five-a-side football tournament
and an active example of how integration and harmonious teamwork function in sport. This cooperation
with the Sport spricht alle Sprachen (“Sport Speaks all
Languages”) association has been in place since 2011,
and the 2014 edition of the cross-border tournament
series proved as popular as ever. Around 1,800 amateur
footballers, the majority of whom have a migration
background, take part in the tournament every year.
Each team plays for its country of origin. In 2014, the
Casinos Austria Integration World Cup was won by
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Eva Menasse, winner of the 2014 Alpha Prize for Literature
Alpha Prize for Literature
The Alpha Prize for Literature was presented for
the fifth time in November 2014. This year it was Eva
Menasse who won the favor of the judges with her book
Quasikristalle (“Quasicrystals”). The 10,000 euro prize
was initiated by Casinos Austria and is awarded each
year to a talented, up-and-coming author. The Alpha
jury is chaired by author and child psychologist Paulus
Hochgatterer.
The Casinos Austria “Casino on Tour” mobile charity
casino tables continue to raise money for good causes
every year. In 2014, a total of around 82,000 euros
was raised for charity at these mobile casino tables at
237 events across Austria.
Selected Casinos Austria Group sponsorship projects
•2nd Austrian Inclusion Day
• Aktion “Leben mit Krebs“ (“Living with Cancer” initiative)
• ALC – Austria’s Leading Companies
• Alpha Prize for Literature
• Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Austria (Workers’ Samaritan Federation)
• Austrian Mountain Rescue Service
• Austrian National Library
• Austrian Red Cross
• Bregenz Festival
• Burgtheater in Vienna
• Caritas Vienna – House Immanuel for Mothers and Children in Need
• Casino Grand Prix
• Casinos Austria Integration Football World Cup
• Dancers Against Cancer (association for the care of cancer patients)
• Danube Island Festival in Vienna
• European Forum Alpbach
• European Forum Wachau
• Fête Impériale – Spanish Riding School Summer Ball
• Hospiz Österreich (Austrian counseling and competence center for hospice and palliative care)
• ImPulsTanz Festival – DanceAbility Workshops
• Joanneum Universal Museum– Annual Membership Card
• Klassik in den Alpen (Classical Music in the Alps) – Elina Garanca in Kitzbühel
• Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History in Vienna) – Annual Membership Card
• Lebenshilfe Niederösterreich (counseling and aid organization in Lower Austria)
• Licht ins Dunkel (Light into Darkness charity)
• Museum of Natural History in Vienna – Annual Membership Card
• Nestroy – Vienna Theater Award
• Neunerhaus (homeless shelter in Vienna)
• Österreichische Wachkomagesellschaft (society for the care of coma patients in Austria)
• Red Nose Gala – Anniversary Event in Volkstheater Vienna
• Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna
• Simultania (Award for Disabled Artists) – Art Calendar
• Sollenau meets Grafenegg – Two Sponsoring Projects Come Together
• Technisches Museum Wien (Vienna Museum of Technology)
• Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (theater company in Vienna)
• Vienna State Opera
• Volkshilfe (public aid organization)
• Volkstheater (theater in Vienna)
• Wiener Festwochen (arts festival in Vienna
• Wiener Hilfswerk (public aid organization in Vienna)
• Wiener Kabarettfestival (cabaret festival in Vienna)
• Wiener Stadthalle (event center in Vienna)
• WWF Austria
69
2014 Financial Year
Employees
An investment in its employees is an investment in the success of a company. In
2014, the focus at Casinos Austria lay on management development. Our corporate
volunteering program was also successfully continued.
As a leading international casino and gaming company,
Casinos Austria is an attractive employer. We offer
international career opportunities, provide excellent
staff education and training opportunities and run
programs to maintain and promote staff health.
Guest service assumes top priority at Casinos
Austria, and we are fully aware that highest quality
guest service can only be achieved with top quality
employees. Our employees have to be flexible, mobile
and dedicated to their work – both day and night. We
provide them with the corresponding facilities and
support.
Casinos Austria places particular importance on
providing its staff with excellent training and on
developing valuable know-how within the company.
The advantages of in-house expertise are particularly
relevant in specialist areas like the gaming industry.
Casinos Austria has a highly-qualified team of internal
trainers in place who have been sharing their expertise
with their colleagues in our casino operations since
2011. These experts provide in-house training, for
example, in regulatory topics like responsible gaming,
information security, data protection and the prevention of money laundering. Our “advising program” to
help integrate junior croupiers into the company and
provide them with advice, support and encouragement
was also successfully continued in the reporting year.
In this staff development instrument, one person (the
advisor) supports the development of another person
(the advisee). Casinos Austria has advisors in place
at all its casinos, each of whom supports a maximum
of three new colleagues for a maximum duration of
12 months.
70
Further key activities in our staff development
program in the reporting year included personality
development training courses on the topics “My Role
as Brand Ambassador” and “Intercultural Awareness”.
We also began a comprehensive leadership workshop
program for all managers, especially those who had
been appointed to a leadership position within the last
few years. Aimed at improving professionalism in our
leadership and staff management practices, the three
modules in the program – “My Leadership Role”, “Managing Teams” and “Organization” – are designed to
establish a shared understanding of leadership culture
in the Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries Group.
To increase the effectiveness of our local level management, the Balanced Scorecard was updated, and ten
workshops were organized to train those members of
staff who work with this tool. Based on the results and
the feedback from the 140 participants in these workshops, the tool was adapted both in terms of c ontent
and usability.
In 2014, Casinos Austria employed a total of
4,539 staff worldwide. Of these, 1,670 were employed
in our casinos in Austria (including at headquarters
in Vienna and in our Cuisino, CAST, CCB and CALL
subsidiaries).
Diversity and equal opportunities
Workshops were held in all Business Units in the
Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries Group to define
targets and measures to ensure equal opportunities and
a gender balance. One of the topics discussed here was
how to deploy women with qualifications equal to those
of their male counterparts in male-dominated areas
and help them to advance their careers by providing
special training and further education measures.
Excellence in recruiting and personnel marketing
An applicant management tool was developed
in the Recruiting and Personnel Marketing unit to
increase the quality and efficiency of the recruiting
process and raise the professionalism of the company’s
public image. This also includes an increased presence
on social media and links to social media channels.
Casinos Austria received a “Silver Seal of Approval” in
Career magazine’s survey of Best Recruiters.
Corporate volunteering – a day for a social project
In April 2013, the group launched a corporate volunteering program for all employees in Austria under
the motto: “Good for Austria”. Corporate volunteering is an internationally recognized term: companies
that engage in corporate volunteering support and
encourage their employees to volunteer in their local
communities.
At Casinos Austria, each employee is allowed to
spend one working day a year doing voluntary work
for a good cause. The focus here lies on people – e.g.
volunteering to spend a day with the elderly, with
handicapped people, with children in need or the less
fortunate in society or by putting one’s practical skills
to good use. In this program, the Casinos Austria and
Austrian Lotteries Group works with some of our
long-standing partners like Caritas, the Hilfswerk
public aid organization, the Lebenshilfe counselling
and aid organization, the Soma social markets, the
Wiener Tafel association for social transfer and the
Austrian Red Cross. These organizations frequently
need support for events and trips or help, for example,
with renovation projects.
A total of 165 employees volunteered to spend a day
working for a good cause in 2014. Several teams also
used the opportunity to do something together to help
others.
“Don’t gamble with your health” campaign
A company-wide working group was established
back in 2013 to evaluate psychological stress in the
workplace. This group worked with external occupational psychologists to establish a uniform evaluation
procedure. After an initial pilot phase in the first and
second quarters of 2014, the evaluations were carried
out throughout the company in fall 2014. The analysis
of the results and consultation on the next steps will be
carried out in the first six months of 2015.
Our programs to maintain and improve staff health
are based on three pillars: diet/nutrition, exercise and
mental health. We also offer permanent healthcare
facilities and advice to our staff through occupational
physicians. In addition to optimal consideration of
health aspects in the workplace, staff can also arrange,
for example, to have a preventive medical check-up with
these physicians.
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2014 Financial Year
Security
The protection of guests, gaming operations and sensitive data go hand-in-hand at
Casinos Austria. State-of-the-art video technology – and staff who use it responsibly
as a matter of course – are the keys to security and safety in our casinos.
There are many aspects to safety and security at
Casinos Austria, and we address and meet security
demands both from a technical and an organizational
perspective. The well-being of guests at our 12 casinos
across Austria clearly assumes top priority. A total of
28 members of staff in these casinos are responsible for
all aspects relating to safety and security. They are all
highly trained and are provided with regular training
and refresher courses. First aid courses are, for example, held each year in our casinos under the supervision
of representatives of AUVA (the Austrian insurance
association for occupational injuries). Emergency scenarios and procedures (e.g. fire drills) are also rehearsed
at regular intervals.
The security camera installations in our casino
foyers and gaming areas are kept as unobtrusive as
possible and convey a sense of security rather than an
impression of omnipresent surveillance. The video technology serves to prevent criminal activities and thus
to protect our guests, our staff and the company as a
whole. Recordings made in our casinos are archived for
up to 30 days in line with data protection commission
provisions and guidelines. The reason for this 30-day
archiving requirement is the time delay that occurs
before credit card incidents become apparent.
Our central surveillance system is the key component of the Casinos Austria security system. This
video-based system is extremely flexible and can be
operated both from a local control center in the casino
as well as from a central security control center.
Fire alarm systems, burglar and panic alarms as well
as access control systems are all connected to the security control center. Numerous precautionary measures
are in place to safeguard inventory and equipment,
72
including motion detectors and alarm systems to
prevent attempts to manipulate gaming activities. The
video systems must be realigned to all security relevant
systems and installations following any alterations or
refurbishments to the casino premises.
In accordance with the official mandate issued by
the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance, 180 so-called
internal system checks are carried out each year without prior notification of time and venue.
The team in the Security & Surveillance Division is
also responsible for facility engineering matters in the
individual casinos. This includes not only the installation of adequate locks and entry systems but also the
handling of service and maintenance visits by external security firms to work on intruder and fire alarm
systems. They are also responsible for the safeguarding
of product security for sensitive casino products like
playing cards and chips.
The ongoing modernization of technical components
is a fundamental element of security policy at Casinos
Austria and was continued throughout 2014. We also
continued with the installation of modern recording
devices at cash desks and in cash rooms, where high
resolution digital recorders and IP cameras are in use.
Detailed planning of the modification of the video
systems in Graz and Seefeld was completed. Additional
cameras were installed at those tables where cash chips
were in use during the European Poker Championship
in Baden.
A cross-functional security committee is responsible
for adherence to all relevant guidelines and procedures.
This committee also ensures that security standards
across the group are continually improved.
strives through its security policy to:
• ensure that all games, products and associated
business processes are managed correctly and with
appropriate continuity;
• provide each player and guest with an equal chance
of winning and prevent games from being manipulated in any way;
• establish appropriate measures and precautions to
protect the lives and well-being of any players, guests
or other customers while on company premises;
• comply with all statutory legal and corporate
provisions;
• guarantee the availability, confidentiality and
integrity of any material and immaterial assets and
provide authorized users with access to these assets
as required;
• avoid, identify and/or rectify any loss or falsification
of information, information systems and data storage media;
• prevent any unauthorized use of this information
and these information systems;
• provide compulsory safety and security training for
all staff and ensure that all staff also complete this
training.
73
Superb dining is part of the experience
in our casinos
We are known far beyond our national borders for treating guests in our
12 casinos across Austria not only to top quality gaming but also to excellent
cuisine. Regional, seasonal and organic – our casino restaurants source their
ingredients from 126 Austrian producers. Our guests value and appreciate
good food. In 2014, we served 87,000 “Dinner & Casino” tasting menus –
thereby also offering our guests the ultimate taste experience.
Ì
Did you know that the casino restaurants across Austria use
around 47,000 pieces of flatware?
2014 Financial Year
(from l. to r.): Marcel J. Vanic, (Chef de Cuisine, Casino Velden), Karl Stoss (Chairman,
Casinos Austria), Harry Mittermaier (Cuisino Manager, Casino Baden)
Cuisine and Casino
The new F&B brand Cuisino – 150 culinary events from wine and Champagne
tastings through asparagus, cheese and smoked fish specials to roast goose –
turned a visit to a casino into a culinary extravaganza in 2014.
The 2014 business year was also an exciting and successful one for Casinos Austria from a culinary perspective.
The absolute highlight of the year was the positioning of
the new F&B brand Cuisino – Culinary Events by Casinos
Austria. The cafés, bars, restaurants and lounges in our
casinos in Baden, Bregenz, Innsbruck, Kleinwalsertal,
Kitzbühel, Seefeld, Velden and Vienna all switched to
the new Cuisino brand. As event caterer in Baden and
Velden, Cuisino also caters annually to several thousand
event guests. Cuisino offers highest quality cuisine and
catering and, of course, perfect service.
76
Casino Bregenz boasts a brand new Bar & Cuisino
Lounge. A completely new 64-seat restaurant was
opened in Casino Wien offering upscale dining. A great
location for a romantic dinner, for a celebration or for
private or business functions.
The Cuisino kitchen teams expertly prepare top
quality Austrian produce and are committed to providing highest quality cuisine using regional, seasonal and
organic ingredients. Fine produce from Austria is an absolute prerequisite and is transformed into exquisite culinary
creations and served with first-class wines and beverages.
Celebrity chefs Andi & Alex created sublime “Dinner & Casino” menus
Casinos Austria places a strong emphasis on
regional specialties on its restaurant and bar menus.
Wherever possible, our casino restaurants source their
ingredients from local producers based near their
respective casinos. In this way, we are also able to practice and respect our core corporate values – like sustainability and social responsibility – in our F&B operations
and compliment this with a return to the qualities and
values promoted by the “slow food” concept. Our casinos also cooperate with Bund Österreicher Gastlichkeit,
the Austrian hospitality federation, an organization
which promotes the Austrian art of cooking and Austrian culinary know-how. And we also demonstrate our
social responsibility when it comes to products which
do not originate from Austrian producers and opt here
for the use of “Fairtrade” products wherever possible.
The award-winning, top-quality restaurants in our
casinos have been recognized by Gault Millau with
a total of five toques: two in Velden and one each in
Bregenz, Kleinwalsertal and Baden.
Culinary packages
Fine dining is but one element of the casino experience. Exciting gaming at the tables or slot machines
is an equally important aspect of a night at the casino.
So if you can combine the two – fine dining and great
gaming – all the better.
That’s why each of our casinos also offers a range
of attractive culinary packages. These include our
ever-popular “Dinner & Casino” package, which allows
guests to combine a memorable dinner with a few
thrilling hours at the gaming tables. For the price of
59 euros per person, guests receive an exquisite fourcourse tasting menu, with welcome chips to the value of
25 euros thrown in for good measure.
In 2014, the popular Austrian celebrity chefs Andi
& Alex created the “Dinner & Casino” menus in Casino
Baden. Guests could also experience the entertaining
pair’s culinary talents in person on four occasions when
the duo cooked live at the casino.
Gourmet events
Gourmets had the choice of 150 different culinary
events in our casinos in 2014. That’s enough to make
anyone’s mouth water. The gourmet series began in
March with smoked fish and smoked salmon. In May,
it was the turn of the noble asparagus. In the summer,
strawberries were served in all manner of delicious
shapes and forms, while the fall menus followed tradition and featured pumpkin and goose.
77
2014 Financial Year
(from l. to r.): Dietmar Hoscher, “Wine Queen” Tanja I.,
Goldene Traube winner Hans Tschida, Karl Stoss
To mark the kick-off of the FIFA World Cup, Casino
Baden invited representatives of politics, business and
sport to an authentic Brazilian churrasco. It is now tradition for Casinos Austria to arrange a get-together with
typical host-country dishes in Casino Baden to mark the
kick-off of all major football events.
On 19 November 2014, Studio 44 hosted the fourth
Genuss Gipfel gourmet food summit to coincide with the
launch of the Genuss Guide 2015 (“Gourmet Guide 2015”)
and present the awards to the country’s best organic
delicatessens.
Gourmet awards
Since Austrian cuisine, Austrian hospitality and
Austrian wine culture are closely interwoven with the
gourmet experience offered in our casinos, C asinos
Austria has always been a strong promoter and advocate of these important pillars of “red-white-red”
culture. Each year, the company sponsors the “ Goldene
Traube” (“Golden Grape”) award for particularly good
wines from the Burgenland region. In 2014, the
sought-after award was presented to Hans Tschida
f rom the Angerhof winery in Illmitz for his 2010
Trockenbeerenauslese Sämling 88.
The most prestigious of Casinos Austria’s gourmet
awards is the “Goldene Roulette Kugel” (“Golden Roulette
Ball”). Awarded in cooperation with the Gault Millau
restaurant bible, the Goldene Roulette Kugel recognizes
the best of the best. Many well-known restaurants
across the country have already proudly accepted
this award, which was presented in 2014 to the Waldschänke restaurant in Grieskirchen in Upper Austria.
78
Awarding of the Goldene Roulette Kugel (from l. to r.):
Karl Stoss, Elisabeth and Heinz Grabmer, Gault Millau Publisher
Karl Hohenlohe
The SALON Austria Wine Awards also tour selected
casinos every year to showcase a selection of the best
wines of each vintage. The wines are rated by an expert
jury, and casino guests have the opportunity to taste
them for themselves.
The Casino Gaming Experience
Gaming is our core business. In 2014, we offered a particularly rich choice of
gaming fun: some 900 tournaments – including the 25th European Poker Championship – brought sell-out gaming floors. As an innovative gaming company, Casinos
Austria reacts with speed to customer trends and demands – a fact impressively
demonstrated by the launch of our new Double Roulette game in 2014.
If you are looking for diverse gaming entertainment,
then Casinos Austria is the place for you: from table
gaming or slot machines to international games or local
trends, our casinos offer something for every taste. And
with plenty of tournaments, events and promotions to
choose from, there were also great, high-value prizes to
be won once again in 2014.
The classic casino table games – Roulette, Blackjack
and Poker – still remain the most popular table games
with our guests. But Easy Hold’em, Punto Banco, Easy
Poker, Tropical Stud Poker, Red Dog and the Wheel of
Fortune also have their fans and are thus also included
in our gaming mix. Guests at our casinos can try their
luck at a total of 235 gaming tables across Austria.
The chance of winning big on the slots in our casinos
is highest on our Mega Million Jackpot machines. The
Mega Million Jackpot is Casinos Austria’s biggest progressive slot jackpot and links selected slot machines
at all our casinos across the country. Wins of 1 million euros or more are possible with just a small bet. In
2014, the Mega Million Jackpot was hit twice – once
in Casino Velden and once in Casino Innsbruck – with
both lucky winners taking home a cash prize of over
1 million euros.
The choice of slot machines is particularly large
in our Jackpot Casinos, which are open from morning until night and where the dress code is casual.
Our casinos across Austria offer a total of 2,010 slot
machines. 40 different types of slots with more than
400 games provide for great variety. Slot machine gaming is extremely popular with our guests, a fact that is
reflected in its 72.5 percent share of our gross gaming revenues. To provide these guests with continued
variety, new games and game systems are increasingly
being installed on existing machines.
Innovative ideas
With the introduction of Double Roulette, C
asinos
Austria once again demonstrated its innovative
strength. The launch on 10 October 2014 marked the
start of a Roulette experience with a new level of excitement and chances to win up to 1,200 times the amount
bet. Casinos Austria celebrated the launch in Casino
Baden and Casino Wien with a big party, to which – in
keeping with Double Roulette – we invited many sets of
twins. The introduction of Double Roulette has allowed
us to attract new target groups, extend the range of
games on offer in our casinos and considerably increase
our Roulette revenues.
There were also plenty of other creative ideas in
2014. Another new variation of Roulette was presented
on 22 January 2014 in Casino Kitzbühel to mark the
Hahnenkamm race weekend. The new “Streif Roulette”
game enthralled casino guests and ski stars alike –
offering everyone an opportunity to win at last on the
legendary Streif with the world-famous downhill course
now starring in a very special Roulette game.
The change in rules for Easy Hold’em introduced
at the end of March 2014 and the creation of a new
bet option with attractive pay-out rates increased the
popularity of this Poker game, which generated its best
revenue results since its launch.
The FIFA World Cup also found its place on our
tables. From 10 June 2014 and throughout this mega
event, the World Cup was literally the name of the game
on our Roulette and Blackjack tables. Each number
on the specially designed Roulette cloth was assigned
to one of the participating nations, with host nation
Brazil heading up the numbers field on zero. The five
continents were also given their own fields. Similarly,
the seven boxes on the Blackjack tables bore the names
of the continents (including North and South America)
and Brazil.
79
2014 Financial Year
New variations of Blackjack have also been on offer
in our casinos since the beginning of December 2014.
Classic, Vegas and Party Blackjack now make this
casino favorite even more attractive.
In recent years, we have developed and increasingly
introduced new “plug and play” American Roulette
tables in our casinos. In 2014, we also developed a
display system for single-croupier tables, which was
launched in December. With the development of these
new single-croupier plug-and-play tables, Casinos
Austria once again set a new standard in casino gaming. All necessary cables and connections as well as
the pedestal, lighting, screen and surveillance camera
are already built in to these tables, which are ready to
be plugged in, i.e. literally “plug and play”. The table is
rolled into position, plugged in and is ready for play.
These new tables will be available in our casinos from
2015.
Each of our casinos has its own unique atmosphere,
which is also reflected in its décor. Accordingly, the
gaming tables should also fit with the look of the
respective casino. In fall 2014, a customized American
Roulette table in Alpine look – complete with wood
veneer and polished brass – was produced and installed
in Casino Seefeld.
80
Thanks to the innovative ideas from our Gaming
Division and from individual members of staff in our
casinos, ideas for new games can be quickly turned into
reality at Casinos Austria, thus guaranteeing variety
and high quality in our gaming mix.
Thrilling tournaments
More than 35,000 guests took part in some
900 tournaments in our casinos in the reporting year.
Our tournament calendar features both table and slots
events, which are organized and hosted by each individual casino to keep the gaming and tournament experience exciting. Tournaments for different games like
Roulette, Blackjack and Easy Hold’em or the Baccarat
World Championship in Casino Seefeld attract plenty of
participants and interested spectators to our casinos.
The Casinos Austria Poker Tour (CAPT) once again
proved popular with Poker fans in 2014. The new tournament structure with a mixture of high and low buyins has firmly established itself in the casinos. Poker
players from all around the globe travelled to Austria
to participate in the six stops on the CAPT tour, where
a total of almost 4 million euros in prize monies was up
for grabs. The largest check – for over 113,000 euros –
went to Artur Koren at the European Poker Championship in Casino Baden, a 25th anniversary event that was
Launch of the Streif Roulette game in Casino
Kitzbühel with Casinos Austria Director
Bettina Glatz-Kremsner (2nd from r.), Bernd
Wollmann, Andreas Wagger, Nadja Schramm
and Casino Director Paul Vogel (from l. to r.)
also the final stop in the CAPT 2014 season. The ten
tournament days in Casino Baden were a big event both
at the tables and beyond. In addition to the tournament
tables, up to 15 cash-game tables and a special room for
high-rollers proved very popular.
On 25 October 2014, Casinos Austria presented the
Las Vegas hit game Open Face Chinese Pineapple Poker
during the European Poker Championship. This new
game is particularly popular among Poker aficionados.
Poker is available in all variations in our casinos,
and the Casinos Austria and win2day tournament calendars featured something for every taste: from weekly
and monthly tournaments to Poker games for “newbies”
and the Poker elite. The tried and trusted Poker cooperation with the group’s online gaming platform win2day
was continued throughout 2014. Poker players could
qualify online for tournaments in our casinos and thus
also had the chance to turn a small stake into big prize
money.
To be able to continue offering prestigious national
and international tournaments in the future, a casino
operator has to constantly develop its Poker portfolio.
Accordingly, Casinos Austria will continue in future to
set trends and respond to customer demands to keep its
portfolio exciting and attractive.
Diverse promotions
Our popular promotions – like “Lucky 13th ” and
“Ladies Day” – also proved very successful in 2014. The
13th of every month is always a “Lucky Day” at Casinos
Austria with lots of additional chances to win for our
guests. On every “Friday the 13th ”, a 1,300 euro prize
draw is held in all Austrian casinos. The “Lucky Number 13” thus also again encouraged plenty of people in
2014 to try their luck in our casinos. June was the only
month of the year in which the 13th fell on a Friday:
10,216 guests came to our casinos that day, making it
the busiest day of the year in terms of guest numbers.
The success of this marketing strategy is also confirmed
by the guest numbers for the twelve “13th” promotion
days as a whole: some 94,000 guests visited a Casinos
Austria casino on those days – 24.2 percent more than
on comparable weekdays.
Every Wednesday is “Ladies Day” at Casinos Austria.
Guests on “Ladies Day” enjoy attractive welcome packages with lucky chips and entry tickets for draws for
high-value daily and main prizes. Great packages were
once again on offer in 2014 in cooperation with our
partners – Columbus Travel, Turkish Airlines, Samsonite
and Canon. In the January to April promotion period,
for example, “Ladies Day” guests collected tickets for an
exciting city break prize draw.
81
2014 Financial Year
Croupier Christian Huf with beach volleyball trainers Teresa und
Nadine Strauss at the presentation of the new Double Roulette
game
Our “Collect & Win” promotions naturally also
proved particularly popular, with prizes including
23 brand new Fiat 500s and vacation money for life!
The international “Day of Happiness” was celebrated in
Casino Wien with an over-sized Roulette game on the
city’s Kärntner Straße pedestrian shopping mile.
Casinos Austria was awarded the “Etat-Maus” online
marketing award by readers of Der Standard newspaper
in February 2014 for our “With luck from 0 to 500”
advertising campaign for our Fiat 500 promotion.
ew advertising campaign, social media and
N
internet presence
In September 2014, Casinos Austria launched its
new “Moments of Luck and Happiness” advertising
campaign. A visit to one of the 12 Austrian casinos
offers far more than just luck at the gaming tables, it
is a happy and uniquely entertaining experience for
all the senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
The new advertising campaign conveys this message in
an impressive manner. The company’s new marketing
claim – which centers on “The experience” – further
emphasizes this point.
82
This experience also continues on the Casinos
Austria website – casinos.at. The website features a
striking new graphic design and uses state-of-the-art
parallax scrolling in which the contents of the website
move at a different speed to the background images.
The website design is in keeping with the new advertising campaign and provides the user with a more
emotive introduction to the world of the casino.
Casinos Austria has been successfully operating
an online shop for the last 12 years. Accessible at
gutscheine.casinos.at, the shop can be used to purchase
and print casino (gift) vouchers quickly and easily. In
2014, the shop was also optimized for use on mobile
devices, and the voucher design was updated. The
online shop has developed into a strong sales channel
alongside direct sales in our casinos and is now an
integral part of our sales strategy. The online Christmas
advertising campaign for “Dinner & Casino” vouchers
was particularly successful, and Casinos Austria was
awarded the prestigious Bronze EFFIE Award in the
“Services” category for this campaign. This successful
campaign also helped to considerably raise revenues
generated from our two online shops shop.casinos.at
and gutscheine.casinos.at.
Double Roulette wheel
In 2014, our online shop was granted the “Trusted
Shops Seal of Approval” – the leading seal of approval for
online shops in Europe – and the “Austrian E-Commerce
Trust Mark” for the 11th year in succession. C asinos
Austria also received the first Euro-Label “Mobile
E-Commerce Trust Mark” in Austria – a clear confirmation of the high quality and integrity of our products.
We were also very active again on social media and
the internet in 2014. The Casinos Austria Facebook
page now has over 60,000 friends. Add to these the
friends on the individual casino pages, and the total
rises to more than 101,000 friends. These loyal followers are invited to participate in numerous Facebook
promotions, including special prize draws and photo
competitions.
Gaming mix comparison 2013-2014
as of 31 December 2014
Number of gaming tables/
slot machines
Table games
American Roulette
Double Roulette
2013
2014
70
68
0
2
Blackjack
48
63
Blackjack X-change
14
7
3
2
French Roulette
Tropical Poker
15
13
Poker
50
50
Easy Hold’em
22
16
Punto Banco
5
7
Other
7
7
234
235
1,968
2,010
Total table games
Slot Machines
83
2014 Financial Year
Multifaceted Event Provider
The 12 casinos across Austria and our dedicated Studio 44 and Congress Casino
Baden (CCB) event locations are the perfect venues for events of all kinds. Good
music, arts and cultural events and fine dining make a visit to the casino an
experience for all the senses.
Our 12 Austrian casinos are not only famous for their
fun gaming, they also offer a host of other experiences
and are the perfect locations for events of all kinds.
They are top culinary venues and meeting places for
young and old alike. The extensive options that are
available are clearly reflected in the 2,000+ events and
functions hosted in or by our casinos each year. Two
dedicated event venues – Congress Casino Baden (CCB)
and Studio 44 in Vienna – round the portfolio off and
make Casinos Austria one of the top event organizers in
84
the country. The combination of flexible room concept,
state-of-the art technical equipment, perfect organization and personalized support make each and every
event from Baden to Bregenz a unique experience.
Casinos Austria’s events make our product and
brands come alive for our guests and inimitably combine top class entertainment, cuisine and gaming. And
they do so in the perfect setting as well – in the majestic
ambiance of a historic city palais, in a bustling downtown location or even in a baroque palace.
The popular “Fashion and Style Show” in Casino Bregenz
Highest quality, absolute professionalism and a
flexible approach to meeting customer demands are a
matter of course. With an increasing number of events
to choose from in recent years, customer expectations
have naturally also risen. Only really good events truly
satisfy customer demands and trigger the desired
enthusiasm among guests.
Each of our casinos has its own special charm and
has various function rooms available. From Casineum
event room, award-winning restaurant or wine cellar –
Austria’s casinos offer the right venue for every event.
Curtains up at the 12 casinos
The Cuisino F&B team at Casino Baden launched a
cooperation in 2014 with Austrian celebrity chefs Andi
& Alex for the ever-popular “Dinner & Casino” package.
In addition to creating the “Dinner & Casino” menus,
the duo treated casino guests to a live culinary experience on four occasions throughout the year, answering
questions and giving cooking tips – all with a liberal
sprinkle of their own, inimitable flavor of humor.
Casino Bad Gastein invited skiers on 1 March
2014 to take a break from the slopes and drop in from
noon to the restaurant at the top of the Stubnerkogel
mountain, where the Roulette ball was being spun for
a good cause. With its popular charity events like this
“Casino on the Mountain” promotion in cooperation
with the Gasteiner Bergbahnen cable car company and
“Styria-Burgenland Wine Friends” initiator Roman Jungwirth
its traditional “Open Day”, Casino Bad Gastein raised
a total of over 2,500 euros for the Gasteiner mountain
rescue service and the Clown Doctors charities in 2014.
With a brand-new Mini Cooper as main prize,
the “Casino Herbst” fall festival in Casino Bregenz
included a range of chic large-scale events like the
L’Oréal “Fashion and Style Show”. Local comedian
Stefan Vögel caused hilarity with his “Half-time in
the game of life” routine, while the Bradlberg Musig
folk band and local dialect poet Otto Hoffer made sure
everyone had fun at the Oktoberfest in the casino’s
Arik Brauer Saal event room. The SALON Austria Wine
Awards tour brought top local wines to the casino in
September, while a gourmet “Game” evening in the
FALSTAFF casino restaurant rounded off the fall event
program.
Casino Graz organized numerous wine events
throughout the year, including the “Styria-Burgenland
Wine Friends” tasting, which was hosted by the casino in
2014 for the 8th year. Charity events like the “Dinner in
the Dark” evening also featured strongly on the calendar.
On 5 January 2014, the casino invited guests to chill at
its “501 – the coolest New Year celebration in the city”
party, where one of the relaxed highlights of the night
was a laid-back performance by Eurovision Song Contest winner Conchita Wurst. The casino also features a
180-square-meter Casineum function room for smaller
events, like the regular Casino Comedy Club shows.
85
2014 Financial Year
Miss Upper Austria beauty pageant in Casino Linz
Die Fünf Moes in Casino Innsbruck
The highlight of the 2014 event year at Casino Innsbruck was definitely the Die Fünf Moes show. Specially
arranged for Casino Innsbruck by Marc Hess, over
1,000 enthralled guests have seen this fantastic show
to date. With its cleverly and topically translated lyrics
from the hit musical Five Guys Named Moe, swinging choreography and spectacular lighting effects, the show will
continue to bring Broadway flair to the casino in 2015.
Celebrities are frequent and welcome guests at
Casino Kitzbühel. During the 2nd Kitzbühel Film
Festival in August 2014, stars like Mario Adorf, Andrea
L’Arronge, Hardy Krüger Jr., and many more all visited
the popular casino in the legendary Alpine town. Over
40 events were held in the Casineum event room at
Casino Kitzbühel throughout 2014.
With its many high-profile events like the Casino
Ball, the Media Ball, the Captain’s Ball, prize draws and
high-roller tournaments, Casino Kleinwalsertal plays
an important role in the region’s social calendar. It adds
to and enhances the cultural events on offer in the area
and is a popular meeting place for local residents and
visitors to the Kleinwalsertal valley. The casino places
primary importance on supporting regional commerce
and works closely with local businesses from many
different sectors.
Casino Linz hosted the Miss Upper Austria Pageant for the first time in 2014. The evening began with
an exclusive fashion show by Linz-based designer
86
Gottfried, in which former Miss Upper Austria winners
modelled the star designer’s haute couture. 16 contestants from across Austria then took to the catwalk in
the latest creations from leading designers. The beauty
and fashion pageant was moderated with great charm
by Austrian TV’s Dancing Star and Bingo presenter
Dorian Steidl and his colleague Andreas Steppan with
superb music in the style of the Rat Pack and songs by
the inimitable Austrian star Missy May.
Casino Salzburg is a popular networking event
venue for all manner of different business and cultural
networks, including the Junge Wirtschaft Salzburg
network of young entrepreneurs or the Kunsthilfe Salz
burg association for the promotion of talented young
artists. During one such event, the young graffiti artist
Soma (Tamara Volgger) staged the first exhibition of
her work.
Casino Seefeld is well-known in the Olympic skiing
region for its high-quality events throughout the year.
In 2014, one such event was held a week before the official opening of the annual Oktoberfest beer festival in
Munich. Local associations and groups once again had
the chance to demonstrate their prowess at the Casino
Seefeld “Wiesn Challenge”. The event in the Alpine-look
casino was opened with the traditional cry of “O’zapft
is” (literally: “the barrel is tapped”). The event area was
decorated in the traditional Bavarian colors of blue
and white, and most of the guests wore the traditional
Bal du Cirque Fantastique in Casino Velden
Huge Roulette game on the Kärntner Straße directly in front of
Casino Wien
dress of Lederhosen or Dirndl. At the “Wiesn Challenge”,
29 groups had to demonstrate their skills at “carrying
beer” (in liter jugs, of course), “throwing casino chips”,
“building houses of cards” and a slots tournament.
A real highlight of the 2014 summer season was the
“Bal du Cirque Fantastique” on 3 May in Casino Velden.
The event enchanted stars and regular guests alike:
some 2,000 party-goers danced the night away in the
manège. And there was plenty of reason to party: the
casino was celebrating its 25th anniversary in style.
With the casino transformed for the occasion into a
fantasy world full of glamour and glitter, guests on the
night were transported into a world of magic, circus
acts and shows. There was music for every taste: from
live bands and fiery Cuban performers through rousing
DJ sounds to a classic dance orchestra. Casinos Austria
was awarded the CREOS Create Carinthia Marketing
award for the best event of 2014 for the “Bal du Cirque
Fantastique”. The jury announced its decision with the
following words: “There are events with a theme, and
there are events that become a major talking point. The
latter wins gold!”
To mark the international “Day of Happiness” on
20 March 2014, Casino Wien set up a huge Roulette
game outside the casino and brought casino flair
directly to Vienna’s streets. Prize games, mini tournaments, great prizes and exclusive gaming fun brought
happy smiles to the faces of the many passers-by. From
noon until early evening, passers-by could stand on
their lucky number on the huge Roulette cloth and
win instant prizes. The fun and excitement continued
indoors in the evening with a special entertainment
program, hourly prize draws, gaming lessons and mini
tournaments in the casino from 7 pm. With live performances from Moonlight Breakfast and DJ Buzz, guests
at Casino Wien were also treated to a presentation of
the brand-new Cercle Wien Compilation Volume 3 album.
One particularly interesting event series worth
mentioning here is the Casinos Austria “Tourism Talks”.
Our aim with this series is to promote dialog between
the various stakeholders in the Austrian tourism sector.
Two “Tourism Talks” events were held in 2014: a discussion on “Future scenarios for tourism – value added
versus overnight stays” in Casino Bregenz in March, and
a debate between tourism experts in Casino Baden in
October on the difficulties in financing innovative tourism offers. At the 2014 edition of the “Culture Talks”
series initiated by Casinos Austria, the topic of the
debate was “Living for art, living from art”. The panel –
Federal Minister for Art and Culture Josef Ostermayer,
Burgtheater Director Karin Bergmann, author and child
psychologist Paulus Hochgatterer, Rabenhof Theater
Director Thomas Gratzer, composer Paul Hertel and
musician Andy Baum – talked at length about the current situation facing Austrian artists and, in particular,
copyright law, blank media tax and fair payment.
87
2014 Financial Year
Spectacular opening of the Casino Redoute in Baden
Congress Casino Baden (CCB)
Congress Casino Baden offers a unique combination
of top-class congress and event center and sparkling
casino flair. In 2014, CCB hosted numerous high-caliber
conferences and congresses. Traditional balls and dance
functions, clubbing events, gala evenings, product presentations, concerts and performing arts shows guaranteed a rich and diverse program of events.
In October, international Poker professionals from
36 countries traveled to Casino Baden for the European
Poker Championship. The Casinos Austria Poker Tour
(CAPT) also toured the country’s casinos and reached
its dazzling conclusion in Casino Baden during this
tournament.
The annual Casino Redoute costume ball on Shrove
Monday is always a sell-out at Congress Casino Baden.
Rightly described as the craziest ball of the season,
it never ceases to impress and amaze its enthusiastic
audience. The 2014 New Year party in Casino Baden was
celebrated under the motto “A Night in Italy”. The cast
of the Ti amo musical – a real crowd-puller in Vienna’s
Metropol theater – transported guests to romantic Italy
with their impressive voices and songs.
Also very popular are tasting events like the Genussfest
gourmet festival, which was held in November. The event
offered guests an opportunity to taste the gourmet produce on offer to their heart’s content. www.ccb.at
Studio 44 and Studio 44 Loft
In 2014, Studio 44 celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Over 300,000 event participants, 1,700 events in all business sectors and more than 1,000 stage performers and
guests have all contributed to ensuring that Studio 44 has
become a permanent fixture in the Viennese event scene.
88
Podium discussion at the “Trade Fair and Event Sector” live talk in
Studio 44.
Studio 44 is an event location that caters to every
demand. Various rooms of different sizes can be perfectly combined and adapted to the individual demands
of different events. The venue also scores with its cutting edge technology and customized customer service.
A dedicated team of experts ensures each function is a
superb, all-round experience. Everything is handled by
a one-stop service team: from initial contact to successful conclusion. This approach is greatly appreciated by
national and international clients alike.
The venue is used to host all manner of business
events, such as product presentations, symposia,
awards ceremonies and gala dinners, as well as private
and business functions like anniversary celebrations
or company parties. The centerpiece of the Studio 44
venue is an illuminated stage, which can be used to
change the mood to suit the event.
In 2014, Studio 44 was booked by a range of regular clients like the Campaigning Bureau or National
Instruments. It also welcomed a number of new clients
like Sony with its Xperia Tour in March, OMV with its
IGB Annual Event in June or the Novo Nordisk Pharma
Pre-Congress Meeting in September. Charity events
included the Harley-Davidson Charity Tour Closing Gala
in September and the 15th anniversary of the Wiener
Tafel association for social transfer, also in September.
Studio 44 is also a popular venue for Christmas parties.
Studio 44 has held the Austrian Ecolabel for Green
Meetings/Green Events since 2012 and permanently
strives to develop and extend its competence in this
field, both in the advice it supplies to (potential) clients
and in the services offered at the venue. Ten percent
of the events held at Studio 44 in 2014 were so-called
green events. www.studio44.at
Outlook
Casino Zell am See will open on 1 January 2016 in
accordance with the official casino license award for
Austria (“Regional Package”). In contrast to Casino Bad
Gastein, the casino in Zell am See will be positioned as
a year-round operation. Construction work began in the
first quarter of 2015 and is expected to be completed in
December of the same year (soft opening).
The refurbishment and renovation work at Casino
Bregenz will continue in 2015 in a second construction
phase with the installation of sun shades in the Cloud
Lounge on the summer terrace, thereby completing
the overall F&B construction concept. A conservatory
directly adjoining the Cloud Lounge will be added to
the existing FALSTAFF casino restaurant to provide a
further 50 seats. By the end of the second construction
phase, the new façade will encase the entire building in
a homogeneous lighting concept.
Safe emergency routes, barrier-free access, employee
protection and fire safety are the keywords for the
planned renovations at Casino Salzburg. Public buildings in Austria must provide barrier-free access from
1 January 2016. To provide such access, Casino Salz
burg intends to install two elevators. Current plans
foresee the installation of these elevators in two
towers. These towers will be built at the rear of the
palace and will thus be almost “invisible” to guests. The
renovations are planned for 2015.
Our strategic internal program to increase efficiency
will continue to be followed pursuant to our goal of
improving our cost structures in the longer term.
89
One Roulette ball – double the excitement
At the Roulette table it’s usually all about one ball and one number.
But that was only until the launch of Double Roulette in 2014. In this
variation of the classic casino table game, two rings of numbers spin
in opposite directions in one Roulette wheel. The ball lands between
the two rings and brings two winning numbers and a possible Double
Roulette win of up to 1,200 times the amount bet.
Ì
Did you know that after the croupier has launched the Roulette
ball, it spins around the wheel 13 times on average before
landing on a number?
Profit and Loss Statement
for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014 for Casinos Austria AG
2014
EUR
2013
TEUR
1.Sales
258,344,106.65
253,931
2. Sales and gaming related taxes
-70,212,933.48
-69,412
3. Sales after deduction of sales and gaming related taxes
188,131,173.17
184,519
4. Other operating income
a) Income from the disposal of fixed assets excluding financial assets
b) Income from the reversal of provisions
c)Other
33,922.67
21
166,925.77
273
16,915,894.37
15,306
17,116,742.81
15,599
5. Personnel expenses
a)Wages
-7,311,925.15
-6,953
b)Salaries
-80,222,782.06
-80,105
c) Expenses for severance payments and contributions to employee benefit funds
-2,809,365.07
-2,551
d) Expenses for old-age pensions
-13,595,977.47
-13,026
e) Social security costs and payroll-related taxes and contributions
-22,503,826.27
-22,883
f) Other expenses for employee benefits
-1,604,708.06
-1,514
-128,048,584.08
-127,032
-8,639,400.72
-8,665
6. Amortization of intangible and depreciation of tangible fixed assets
7. Other operating expenses
a) Taxes, other than those included under income taxes
b)Other
8. Operation result = subtotal of items 3 to 7
92
-218,096.49
-234
-59,429,300.75
-59,553
-59,647,397.24
-59,787
8,912,533.94
4,634
2014
EUR
26,066,549.22
26,059,338.78
2013
TEUR
26,978
26,971
10. Income from other securities
160,824.63
198
11. Other interest income and similar income
109,413.17
139
9. Income from investments,
thereof from affiliated companies
12. Income from the disposal of financial fixed assets and
income from the write-up of financial fixed assets
385,213.65
862
-2,593,106.87
0.00
-2,593,106.87
-78,106
-10
-78,082
14. Interest and similar charges,
thereof related to affiliated companies
-12,458,442.72
-746,217.07
-9,314
0
15. Subtotal of items 9 to 14 (financial result)
11,670,451.08
-59,243
16. Result on ordinary activities
20,582,985.02
-54,609
17. Extraordinary expenses
-7,443,295.28
0
18. Extraordinary result
-7,443,295.28
0
19. Taxes on income
3,493,232.12
871
16,632,921.86
-53,738
0.00
59,800
13. Expenses from financial fixed assets,
thereof depreciation of financial fixed assets (excl. affiliated companies)
thereof expenses from affiliated companies
20.Net loss/profit
21. Reversal of profit reserves, other reserves (voluntary reserves)
22.Allocation to profit reserves, other reserves (voluntary reserves)
23.Annual income
24.Profit brought forward from the previous year
25.Balance sheet profit
-13,700,000.00
0
2,932,921.86
6,062
98,469.19
37
3,031,391.05
6,098
93
Balance Sheet
as of 31 December 2014 for Casinos Austria AG
ASSETS
31.12.2014
EUR
31.12.2013
TEUR
2,173,348.34
2,541
A. LONG-TERM ASSETS
I. Intangible assets
1. Protective rights and similar rights
2. Advance payments
400,911.67
3
2,574,260.01
2,544
1. Property, coincident rights and buildings,
including buildings on third party property,
thereof value of land
25,801,557.54
10,589,579.00
18,217
7,025
2. Other equipment, fixtures, furniture and office equipment
21,851,309.43
21,066
3. Advance payments and construction in progress
II. Tangible assets
9,133,034.03
1,485
56,785,901.00
40,768
522,912,601.72
522,913
III. Financial assets
1. Investments in affiliated companies
2. Other participations
3. Book-entry securities
thereof in affiliated companies
4. Other loans
110,701.36
111
12,023,354.97
0.00
11,638
0
0.00
59
535,046,658.05
534,721
594,406,819.06
578,033
673,516.37
2,110
28,263,633.33
30,826
B. CURRENT ASSETS
I. Receivables and other assets
1. Trade receivables
2. Receivables from affiliated companies
3. Other receivables and assets
II. Cash at hand, bank deposits
C. PREPAID EXPENSES
TOTAL ASSETS
94
2,832,043.12
2,231
31,769,192.82
35,167
28,932,008.73
50,237
60,701,201.55
85,404
2,084,399.00
2,443
657,192,419.61
665,880
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
31.12.2014
EUR
31.12.2013
TEUR
40,000,000.00
40,000
A. EQUITY
I. Share capital
II. Profit reserves
1. Legal reserves
2. Other reserves (voluntary reserves)
III. Balance sheet profit,
thereof profit brought forward
4,000,000.00
4,000
256,100,000.00
242,400
3,031,391.05
98,469.19
6,098
37
303,131,391.05
292,498
B. PROVISIONS
1. Provisions for severance payments
28,526,148.00
26,816
2. Provisions for pensions
19,587,114.00
16,304
3. Provisions for taxes
467,419.00
10,192
4. Other provisions
31,741,559.18
30,015
80,322,240.18
83,326
165,380,052.00
182,580
C. LIABILITIES
1. Liabilities to banks
2. Trade liabilities
3. Liabilities from affiliated companies
4. Other liabilities,
thereof taxes
thereof social security
D. DEFERRED INCOME
5,836,742.62
6,216
48,132,712.92
50,429
51,766,838.50
17,948,974.04
3,294,593.61
48,165
16,928
2,952
271,116,346.04
287,390
2,622,442.34
2,666
TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
657,192,419.61
665,880
Contingencies,
thereof to affiliated companies
23,096,001.00
23,096,001.00
23,096
23,096
95
Consolidated Profit And Loss Statement
for the 2014 fiscal year for the Casinos Austria Group
in TEUR
2013
adjusted
Gaming revenues incl. ancillary revenues
3,623,754
3,506,805
Payouts of lottery winnings
-2,426,061
-2,338,891
Gross gaming revenues incl. ancillary revenues
1,197,693
1,167,914
Gaming taxes and other taxes
-561,504
-547,801
Net gaming revenues incl. ancillary revenues
636,189
620,113
52,538
52,640
-279,087
-279,919
-36,077
-36,108
-298,207
-298,416
6,028
6,543
Operating result before restructuring expenses and impairments
81,384
64,853
Restructuring expenses (personnel expenses)
-9,179
-665
-51
-529
Other operating income
Personnel expenses
Depreciation and amortization
Other operating expenses
Income from at equity consolidated companies
Restructuring expenses (material expenses)
Expenses from onerous contracts
-6,000
0
Impairments
-3,292
-30,737
Operating result
62,862
32,922
Financial income
8,271
4,684
Income from the sale and liquidation of companies
Financial expenses
Expenses from the sale and liquidation of companies
34
4,283
-22,678
-24,564
-5,393
0
Financial result
-19,766
-15,597
Profit/loss before income taxes
43,096
17,325
Income taxes
-3,310
-9,585
Result from continuing operations
39,786
7,740
Result from discontinued operations
96
2014
1,937
-24,048
NET INCOME/LOSS
41,723
-16,308
Attributable
to shareholders of parent company
to non-controlling interests
22,316
19,407
-26,168
9,860
41,723
-16,308
Consolidated Balance Sheet
as of 31 December 2014 for the Casinos Austria Group
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents
Receivables and other assets
Other financial assets
Assets held for sale
31.12.2014
in TEUR
31.12.2013
in TEUR
231,972
224,281
80,176
73,097
33,888
20,630
346,036
318,008
7,878
59,509
Short-term assets
353,914
377,517
216,671
220,623
245,350
246,336
Tangible assets
Goodwill
Other intangible assets
23,540
28,230
At equity consolidated companies
72,778
41,546
Deferred tax assets
21,417
18,403
Long-term financial assets
186,541
200,778
766,297
755,916
1,120,211
1,133,433
178,118
78,684
26,003
29,528
40,063
63,740
2,233
11,962
0
8,386
Long-term assets
TOTAL ASSETS
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Financial liabilities
Trade payables
Provisions
Income tax liabilities
Debts held for sale
Other short-term liabilities
278,435
243,820
Short-term debt
524,852
436,120
Financial liabilities
262,736
394,659
Provisions for employee entitlements
110,673
98,919
Deferred tax provisions
4,626
5,807
Other long-term provisions
16,915
11,388
Other long-term liabilities
4,670
4,897
399,620
515,670
40,000
40,000
Long-term debt
Share capital
Retained earnings and balance sheet profit
92,613
76,252
Reserve for actuarial gains/losses
-27,235
-20,635
Reserve from hedge transactions
-1,963
-1,967
Revaluation reserve for financial assets
55
0
Currency conversion reserve
Equity - shareholders of parent company
Non-controlling interests
Equity
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
10,980
8,779
114,450
102,429
81,289
79,214
195,739
181,643
1,120,211
1,133,433
97
Automatically more fun
A visit to one of our casinos promises to be an exciting time in an
exclusive ambiance and, of course, with plenty of chances to enjoy a
bit of luck. In addition to the favorite table games Roulette, Blackjack and Poker, our slot machines are also especially popular with
our guests. The Mega Million Jackpot is Austria’s biggest progressive slot jackpot and links slot machines across all 12 casinos in
the country. When it is hit, it is immediately automatically reset to
1 million euros. The Mega Million Jackpot was hit twice in 2014:
once in Casino Velden and once in Casino Innsbruck.
Ì
Did you know that the reels in a slot machine turn at an
average speed of 3.6 km/h?
Our 3D Models
(from l. to r.): Hannes Markowitz, Roman Anzini-Körner, Dietmar Hoscher, Stefan Gollubits, Selina Hager,
Bettina Glatz-Kremsner, Jasmin Arda, Karl Stoss, James Ferguson, Markus Thanner, Saskia Löb
100
Imprint
Casinos Austria AG
Rennweg 44
1038 Vienna, Austria
Tel.: +43 (0) 1 53440-22321
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.casinos.at
www.casinosaustria.com
Producer
Casinos Austria AG
Corporate Communications
Editors
Martin Himmelbauer
Martina Landsmann
Alexandra Gräf
Richard Emele
Maria Schidl
Graphics & Production
schoeller corporate communications
1070 Vienna, Austria
Photo Copyrights
Casinos Austria photo archive, Austrian Lotteries photo
archive, Casinos Austria International photo archive,
tipp3 photo archive
Achim Bieniek, Fotografie Kresser, Christian
Jungwirth, Christian Husar, Heinz Holzknecht,
Marcel A. Mayer, Danny Grimm, Peter C. Mayr (cityfoto.at), Kanizaj Marija-M., Croce&WIR, Andreas
Kolarik, Martin Raffeiner, Franziska Liepe, Martin
Steinthaler, Christof Wagner, Thomas Steinlechner,
Heinz Stephan Tesarek, Eventfoto-Wolfgang KunaszHerzig, Nikolai Krinner, Tina Herzl, Ludwig Schedl,
Anja Koehler, Mike Ranz, Anton Temmel
Luzia Ellert/image pages
Print
Wograndl-Druck GmbH
7210 Mattersburg, Austria
Printed in accordance
with the printing guidelines of the Austrian Eco-Label UW 924
Certifications and Awards
RESPONSIBLE GAMING
CERTIFIED

Luck Is in the Detail

Transcription

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